Radiometrics

TOPICS:
⚫ Basic principles of radioactivity
⚫ Gamma ray radiation
⚫ Gamma-ray spectrometry and surveying
⚫ Data processing and calibration
⚫ Interpretation techniques
OBJECTIVES: Radiometrics
⚫ Explain the principle of radioactivity
⚫ Know which part of the electromagnetic
spectrum gamma rays can be found

⚫ Know what a gamma ray spectrometer

measures
⚫ Know the location of the main energy peaks of
Thorium, Uranium and Potassium
⚫ Understand the principle behind the corrections
that have to be done after a survey was flown.
⚫ Display and interpret gamma ray / radiometric
 Principles of radioactivity
⚫
 Principles of radioactivity
⚫ The atomic nuclei of some isotopes have a
surplus of energy, are unstable, and disintegrate
to form more stable nuclei of a different
isotope.
⚫ This process is accompanied by the emission of
particles or energy, termed nuclear radiation.
⚫ Nuclides with this feature are called:
radionuclides, and the process is called nuclear
decay or disintegration.
 Principles of radioactivity
⚫ The number of atoms that decay over time can
be calculated by:
 Principles of radioactivity
⚫ A common parameter to indicate the activity of
the decay is the half-life.
⚫ Half-life indicates how long it takes until half of
a given sample of radioactive elements has
decayed
 Principles of radioactivity
⚫There are three types of radioactive decay:
Alpha decay
Beta decay
Electron capture
⚫ During this radioactive decay, electromagnetic
radiation is emitted, called gamma radiation.
Principles of radioactivity
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
 Gamma ray spectrometry

• Gamma ray spectrometry involves the

measurement of the energy and intensity of
gamma rays.

• Whereas a Geiger counter only counts the

number of times gamma rays hit the detector, a
gamma ray spectrometer also measures the
energy of the gamma rays
Gamma ray spectrometer
Gamma ray spectrometer
Gamma ray spectrometer
 Gamma ray spectrometer

⚫ Many naturally occurring elements have

radioactive isotopes.
⚫ Only the Potassium (K), Uranium (U) and
Thorium (Th) decay series have radioisotopes
that produce sufficient energy and intensity to
be measured by gamma ray spectrometry
Gamma ray spectrometer
Gamma ray spectrometer
Rock Radiation contents