Determination of Natural Radioactivity and Associated Radiological Hazard in Excavation Field in Turkey (Oluz Höyük)
B. Çetin a, F. Öner b and İ. Akkurt c
aAmasya University,Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Amasya, Turkey
bAmasya University, Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Amasya, Turkey
cSüleyman Demirel University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Isparta, Turkey
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The level of natural radioactivity may be varied with the increase in dependence of the depth into the earth. In present study, soil samples from different depths were collected in Oluz Höyük excavation area. The radionuclide concentrations in soil samples were determined by gamma-ray spectrometer which contains 3" × 3" NaI(Tl) detector connected to multichannel analyser. The photopeaks at 1460, 1764, and 2615 keV due to 40K, 226Ra and 232Th, respectively, have been used. The obtained activity concentrations of 40K, 226Ra and 232Th ranged from 656.03 to 1791.85 Bq/kg, 62.39 to 180.93 Bq/kg and 48.31 to 125.43 Bq/kg, respectively. To assess the radiological hazard of the natural radionuclides content in the soil samples of these area, the radium equivalent activities (the minimum value was 181.99 Bq/kg and the maximum value was 497.97 Bq/kg), the absorbed dose rate (the minimum value was 86.83 nGy/h and the maximum value was 237.22 nGy/h), annual effective dose rate (the minimum value was 0.11 mSv/y and the maximum value was 0.29 mSv/y) and external hazard index (the minimum value was 0.49 and the maximum value was 1.35) were calculated using measured activities.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.130.475
PACS numbers: 29.40.-n, 29.85.Fj