Determination of the four natural Ra isotopes in thermal waters by gamma-ray spectrometry

Our method for the simultaneous determination of the four natural Ra isotopes (Ra-226, Ra-228, Ra-224 and Ra-223) in thermal waters involves a separation of Ra on a selective filter (3 M EMPORE (TM) Radium Rad disk), and a single counting using a broad-energy HPGe detector (BE Ge manufactured by CANBERRA (TM)). The calculation of Ra-223 and (228)a activities requires interference and cascade summing corrections. The Ra-226 activities in CO2-rich thermal waters of the Lodeve Basin (South of France) range from 530 to 2240 mBq/l. The low (Ra-228/Ra-226) activity ratios (0.19-0.29) suggest that Ra is mostly derived from the aquifer carbonates. The short-lived Ra-224 and Ra-223 are probably added to the water through recoil or desorption processes from Th-enriched coatings on the fracture walls