Assessment of natural and anthropogenic radioactivity levels in rocks and soils in the environs of Swieradow Zdroj in Sudetes, Poland, by in situ gamma-ray spectrometry

The natural radioactivity of 40K, 208Ti, 212Pb, 214Pb, 228Ac, and the fallout of 137Cs in typical rocks and soils of Swieradów Zdrój area (Sudetes Mountains, Poland) were measured in situ using a portable gamma-ray spectrometry workstation. The measurement points were chosen for different regional lithology: within hornfelses of the Szklarska Poreba schist-belt, quartz rocks, gneisses of the Swieradów Zdrój unit, leucogranites, leptinites, mica schists of the Stara Kamienica belt, and finally the zones of the southern and northern contacts of the Stara Kamienica schist-belt with leucogranites and gneisses of the Lesna unit, respectively. 40K activity varied in the range from about 320 Bq kg(-1) (quartz) to 1200 Bq kg(-1) (gneisses). The activity concentrations associated with 228Ac (232Th series) varied in the range from 25 Bq kg(-1) (quartz) to 62 Bq kg(-1) (leucogranites), whereas activity concentration of 226Ra varied in the range from about 31 Bq kg(-1) (hornfelses) to 122 Bq kg(-1) (leucogranites). Relatively low deposits of 137Cs were noted in the investigated area, where the activity concentrations ranged from 4001 (hornfelses) Bq m(-2) to less than 154 Bq m(-2) (leucogranites).