ASSESSMENT OF KARAMUSTAFA GOLD-BEARING Zn-Pb MINE (GÜMÜŞHANE, TÜRKİYE) AREA IN TERMS OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL RADIOACTIVITY

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the environmental effects of natural and artificial radioactivity contents, especially in the context of medical geology of base metal-containing mineral deposits. In the study, artificial/anthropogenic (137Cs) and natural (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) radioactivity levels in the soil of the Karamustafa gold-bearing Zn-Pb-(±Cu) mining area, one of the important mines of Gümüşhane (NE Türkiye), were determined and evaluated. In order to determine the natural and artificial radioactivity of the mining area, 9 soil samples were collected from different parts of the field, taking into account the geological and alteration characteristics of the field. 232Th, 226Ra and 40K activities of the samples prepared according to the relevant laboratory procedures were determined by the gamma-ray spectrometry, and the artificial radioactivity values of 137Cs were also measured. As a result of the study, it was determined that the 40K and 226Ra average activities of the Karamustafa gold-bearing Zn-Pb-(±Cu) mining area exceeded the world averages in most sampling points, while the 232Th activities were above the world averages at some sampling points. It has been determined that the artificial/human-derived 137Cs radioisotope values in the field are remarkably high. Considering the major radio indices calculated for the field, it was determined that the absorbed dose rate and annual effective dose rate indices of the mine site exceeded the relevant threshold values. When all the data obtained from the field were evaluated together, it was concluded that the mine field needed detailed study in the context of radiation risk.