Radiometric Observations in Vodny (Former Radium Production Territory in the Komi Republic)

Between 1931 and 1956, radium was produced in the territory of the village of Vodny, located on the bank of the Ukhta River within the Ukhta fold of the Timan ridge. Areas with radioactive contamination remain there to this day. The authors have conducted radiometric studies of the volumetric activity of soil radon (VAR) and gamma radiation. As a result, a radon anomaly measuring 2 × 1.5 km was discovered, with a radiation intensity of 5000–15 000 Bq/m3. Within the anomaly, there are former radium mining sites with zones of high gamma radiation dose rates. Former radium mining sites with zones of high gamma radiation dose rates are located within the identified anomaly. High concentrations of VAR are observed in sources of gamma radiation with a small area, while the anomalous area with gamma radiation values of more than 1000 Bq/m3 covers a significant area. The complex structure of the Ukhta fold and its strong fragmentation, especially in the arch part, allows us to assume many small faults and zones of fracturing and fragmentation. The removal of radionuclides, their dissolution by mineral waters, and further transfer occurs precisely through them. Summarizing the data, we can conclude that the radon field in the study area is formed due to the burial of industrial waste and a specific geological and tectonic position—the close occurrence of the Baikal basement and the presence of a network of faults serving channels for convective transfer of fluids, in particular, radon.