Temporal variation of radon in soil and water in Kosovo

Abstract This study aims to investigate radon (Rn-222) gas concentrations in soil and water within seismic-prone regions of Peja and Vitia, Kosovo. The study utilizes the Alpha GUARD PQ2000 PRO equipment for precise measurement, based on the primary and some secondary data gathered. The observed soil gas radon concentrations ranged from 34.6 kBq/m 3 to 130.4 kBq/m 3 in Peja and 19.8 kBq/m 3 to 73.2 kBq/m 3 in Vitia, amidst minor seismic events with magnitudes between 1.5 and 2.6. The epicenters are located at distances ranging from 3.1 to 38 km from the radon monitoring sites. The seasonal correction factor was 0.98 for the dry season and 1.01 for the wet season for both areas (Peja and Vitia). Concurrently, radon activity concentrations in spring water varied from 5.7 Bq/L to 9.6 Bq/L in Peja and from 212.8 Bq/L to 275.3 Bq/L in Vitia. These findings emphasize the potential of radon monitoring as an earthquake precursor and highlight the influence of meteorological factors on radon levels, paving the way for future research in earthquake forecasting and environmental safety. Notably, the soil radon levels decrease during heavy rainfall.This contributes to understanding radon’s behavior under varying environmental conditions.