Measurement of the Natural Radioactivity in Cataclastic Rock Samples using RS-230 Spectrometer

Natural radioactivity levels for radioactive samples occurring in construction material have been carried out for forty cataclastic rock samples from Abu Rusheid area in the Eastern Desert. In the present study the concentrations of 238U, 226Ra,232Th and 40K (%) were measured using RS-230 gamma ray spectrometer with high accuracy. Radiation exposure rate, absorbed dose rate and the annual absorbed dose rate were calculated from the measured concentrations of natural radioactivity. From the results, the concentration of uranium in ppm ranged from 1.80 to 222.60 and thorium ranged from 2.40 to 487.40 ppm. The values of radiation exposure rate ranged from 2.88 to 245.97 µRh-1 and the annual absorbed dose rate ranged from 0.24 to 20.50 mSvy-1. The values of the absorbed dose rate are higher than the acceptable limit. From the obtained results, we can conclude that the area under study can be used as a mine of natural radioactive elements