Determination of Uranium, Thorium, Alpha-emitting Members and Effective Radium Contents of Some Ores and Dose Rates by CR-39 and LR-115 Nuclear Track Detectors

Abstract

Alpha-autoradiography technique (by using a total of 48 plastic samples, 28 of CR-39 and 20 of LR-115 nuclear track detectors) was applied for the estimation of the concentration of uranium, thorium, and alpha-emitting members of their series in four types of ores (cassetrite, chromite, galena, and pyrite) from different locations of the Eastern Desert in Egypt. Effective radium contents and radon emanation coefficients for two of these rocks (galena and pyrite) were also determined. Also the calculation of gamma ray exposure dose rates from these four ores arising from ²²⁶Ra and its daughters were calculated for four different locations.