U007-07
Radon Monitoring in Gulf of Corinth, Greece. A Long Term Monitoring and Correlation with Seismicity.

Wednesday, 9 December 2020: 11:30
Vassilios K Karastathis1, George Eleftheriou1, Menas Kafatos2, Kanaris Tsinganos3, Akis Tselentis1, Dimitar Ouzounov4 and Evangelos Mouzakiotis5, (1)National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece, (2)Chapman University, Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling & Observations, Orange, CA, United States, (3)National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece, (4)Chapman University, CEESMO, Orange, CA, United States, (5)National Observatory of Athens, Athens, CA, Greece
Abstract:
Significant new findings on how soil radon variations can be related with the natural seismicity and forecoming events have been obtained after a five-year systematic real-time monitoring of soil radon concentration. A possible relation between soil radon concentrations to local deformation changes seems to be well supported by the data. More specifically, observed radon level variations can be related directly with the seismicity rate and regional stress changes.

The results we present mainly concern the Eastern Gulf of Corinth, an area of high seismic hazard and risk. At this area there are also important urban centers and industrial infrastructure. Two permanent real-time and continuously operating stations have been installed in the area as a part of a larger network of γ-radiation spectrometers covering Southwestern Greece. This network is currently expanding with new stations at Crete and Ionian Islands. Data analysis is automatically performed on-site by advanced methods of Full Spectrum Analysis, applying a posteriori quality control of the whole dataset and partial corrections if needed. The Loutraki station, which is installed at a site close to a significant fault with hydrothermal flux, showed highly interesting results that correlate the seismicity rate with radon level at the measuring site. However, an even more noteworthy observation is that the radon level variations also seem to follow a pattern, related to the stronger events. Although the results are well supported by a long-term monitoring period, greater than 5 years, more data are required in order to get a clear picture. This station shows a very high consistency in the measurements and is strongly insulated from exogenous factors such as temperature, pressure and humidity. On the other hand, other stations, even located on active faults in the region, seem to be severely affected by the environment underlying the significance of the local geological characteristics in site selection and data interpretation.

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