title: Natural radionuclides in the rocks of the Valle del Cervo Pluton in Piedmont.
abstract: Monitoring of the gamma radiation in Valle del Cervo Pluton was performed by determining U and Th contents in the main rock types cropping out over the entire area and pertaining to the granitic complex, syenitic complex and monzonitic complex. In particular, syenitic rocks were largely used as building and ornamental materials (e.g. Sienite della Balma). All the samples are fresh and do not present joints or fractures filled with U minerals. In the crushed samples the activity of uranium varies from 346 to 764 Bq/kg. Concentration of thorium varies from 202 to 478 Bq/kg. For all the analysed rocks uranium activity is higher than thorium one. The lowest value of radioactive concentration is referred to rocks of the granitic complex. The most active rocks are syenites. The data confirm the high activities of Valle del Cervo rock types, strongly connected with high K content of the source magma (geochemical signature); on the contrary, the activity seems to be not related to the location of the samples.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria, 16-20133 Milano, Italy. lucia.sesana@unimi.it
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sesana
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carnevale
authors.forename: Giancarla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Polla
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Facchini
authors.forename: Annita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tunesi
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Capitani
authors.forename: Rosella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rusconi
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D001417:Background Radiation; D001822:Body Burden; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive