An Extended Investigation of High-Level Natural Radioactivity and Geochemistry of Neoproterozoic Dokhan Volcanics: A Case Study of Wadi Gebeiy, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt

Kamar, Mohamed S.; Salem, Ibrahim A.; El-Aassy, Ibrahim E.; El-Sayed, Abdu A.; Zakaly, Hesham M.H.; Alzahrani, Abdullah M.; Lasheen, El Saeed R.

doi:10.3390/su14159291

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For four weeks, the beakers were sealed to establish secular equilibrium, which occurs when the daughters’ decay rate reaches parity with that of the parents. This step’s significance is to ensure that the daughters will remain in the sample and that the radon gas is contained within the volume [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing geochemical and natural radioactivity impacts of Hamadat phosphatic mine through radiological indices

et al. 2023

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The utilization of phosphorite deposits as an industrial resource is of paramount importance, and its sustainability largely depends on ensuring safe and responsible practices. This study aims to evaluate the suitability of phosphorite deposits for industrial applications such as the production of phosphoric acid and phosphatic fertilizers. To achieve this goal, the study meticulously examines the geochemical characteristics of the deposits, investigates the distribution of natural Radioactivity within them, and assesses the potential radiological risk associated with their use. The phosphorites are massive and collected from different beds within the Duwi Formation at the Hamadat mining area. They are grain-supported and composed of phosphatic pellets, bioclasts (bones), non-phosphatic minerals, and cement. Geochemically, phosphorites contain high concentrations of P2O5 (23.59–28.36 wt.%) and CaO (40.85–44.35 wt.%), with low amounts of Al2O3 (0.23–0.51 wt.%), TiO2 (0.01–0.03 wt.%), Fe2O3 (1.14–2.28 wt.%), Na2O (0.37–1.19 wt.%), K2O (0.03–0.12 wt.%), and MnO (0.08–0.18 wt.%), suggesting the low contribution of the detrital material during their deposition. Moreover, they belong to contain enhanced U concentration (55–128 ppm). They are also enriched with Sr, Ba, Cr, V, and Zn and depleted in Th, Zr, and Rb, which strongly supports the low detrital input during the formation of the Hamadat phosphorites. The high Radioactivity of the studied phosphorites is probably due to the widespread occurrence of phosphatic components (e.g., apatite) that accommodate U in high concentrations. Gamma spectrometry based on NaI (Tl) crystal 3×3 has been used to measure occurring radionuclides in the phosphorite samples. The results indicate that the radioactive concentrations’ average values of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K are 184.18±9.19, 125.82±6.29, and 63.82±3.19 Bq Kg-1, respectively. Additionally, evaluations have been made of the radiological hazards. The calculated risk indicators exceeded the recommended national and world averages. The data obtained will serve as a reference for follow-up studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the Radioactivity of phosphatic materials collected from the Hamdat mine area.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing geochemical and natural radioactivity impacts of Hamadat phosphatic mine through radiological indices

et al. 2023

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“…Ra, and 40 K activity concentrations are given in Supplementary Table Among the estimated mean 238 U and 232 Th, and 226 Ra activity concentrations of the studied beryl-bearing rocks, Homret Mukpid (79, 87.15, 60.26 Bq kg −1 ) and Homret Akarem (111.6, 51.17, 85.1 Bq kg −1 ) contain the highest values, which are higher than the safety world levels 40 . This is may be attributed to their highly fractionated granitic rocks that host uranium and thorium reservoir minerals such as zircon, allanite, and monazite 16,19,21 . The 238 U and 232 Th activity concentrations of the examined Homret Mukpid and Homret Akarem are also higher than those of Homrit Waggat Area 16 .…”

Section: Radiological Risk Assessment Of Beryl-bearing Bedrocksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These radionuclides are abundant within crustal rocks certainly the highly evolved granitic rocks and pegmatites. Many diseases may be produced from long time exposure and inhalation of radon gas, which is the product of radium such as acute leucopenia and bone cancers 16 , 19 – 21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing environmental and radiological impacts and lithological mapping of beryl-bearing rocks in Egypt using high-resolution sentinel-2 remote sensing images

Khaleal,

El-Bialy,

Saleh

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Emerald and other beryls represent a family of the most valuable gemstone around the world and particularly in Egypt. Beryllium (Be) contents in beryl-bearing bedrocks in south Sinai (Wadi Ghazala and Wadi Sedri), and in central and south Eastern Desert of Egypt (Igla area, Zabara-Um Addebaa belt, Homret Akarem, and Homret Mukpid) were investigated in this study. The environmental risk levels of Be, associated major ions, and heavy metals in groundwater nearby to beryl-bearing mineralization were also evaluated. Results showed that Be contents ranged from 1 to 374 ppm in beryl-bearing bedrocks, while in nearby groundwater, Be content has a range of 0.0001–0.00044 mg/L with an average of 0.00032 mg/L, which is within the permissible levels and below (0.004) the U.S. EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most levels of heavy metals (e.g., Be, B, Ni, V, Fe, and Al) in the investigated groundwater of central and south Eastern Desert and south Sinai are within the permissible levels and below their corresponding U.S. EPA MCLs. This study also investigated the radiological risk of natural radionuclides distributed in beryl-bearing bedrocks in the study area using gamma spectrometry; Sodium Iodide [NaI(Tl)] scintillation detector. Among the estimated mean 238U, 232Th, and 226Ra activity concentrations of the studied beryl-bearing rocks, Homret Mukpid (79, 87.15, 60.26 Bq kg−1) and Homret Akarem (111.6, 51.17, 85.1 Bq kg−1) contain the highest values. This may be attributed to their highly fractionated granitic rocks that host uranium and thorium reservoir minerals such as zircon, allanite, and monazite. The estimated data of multi-radiological parameters such as absorbed gamma dose, outdoor and indoor annual effective dose, radium equivalent activity, internal and external indices, index of excess cancer, and effective dose to human organs reflecting no significant impacts from the emitted natural gamma radiation.

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“…Egyptian Neoproterozoic rocks straddle the northern sector of the Arabian Nubian Shield (ANS), which represents the northern extension of the highly deformed Mozambique Belt. ANS makes up the eastern limb of the U-shaped Pan African Orogenic belt, one of the best examples of juvenile continental crust in the world (e.g., Lasheen et al, 2021;Khaleal et al, 2022a;Alharshan et al, 2022;Lasheen et al, 2022b;Hamdy et al, 2022;Kamar et al, 2022;Sami et al, 2023). The ANS encompasses both sides of the Red Sea: the Nubian Shield (western sector) and the Arabian Shield (Eastern sector) (e.g., Khaleal et al, 2022b;Saleh et al, 2022b;Sami et al, 2023).…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physico-mechanical properties and shielding efficiency in relation to mineralogical and geochemical compositions of Um Had granitoid, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

Rashwan,

Lasheen,

Abdelwahab

et al. 2023

Front. Earth Sci.

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The current work aims to describe the physico-mechanical characteristics and shielding efficiency with reference to the mineralogical and geochemical compositions of the Neoproterozoic Um Had composite granitoid pluton in order to deduce their favorability as dimension stones. The Um Had granitoid pluton has an elliptical outline with a mean diameter of about 10 km. This pluton is a composite (ranging from white to reddish pink color), hard, massive, and medium- to coarse-grained granitoid body. It is classified as syenogranite according to their modal and bulk chemical compositions. Geochemically, the granitoid pluton is a highly calc-alkaline, peraluminous granite, formed by low degree partial melting of tonalitic source rock in a post-collisional tectonic setting. The physico-mechanical properties of the granitoid pluton under study satisfy the requirements of dimension stone in terms of their bulk density (from 2561 to 2564 kg/m3), and to some extent water absorption capacity (from 0.38% to 0.55%). However, their compressive strength values (50.4–113.4 MPa) do not achieve the minimum requirement for interior use and light duty exterior use. This study delves into the potential of some of our syenogranite samples (I, IIA, IIS, and 10) as gamma radiation shielding materials. We have assessed the mass attenuation coefficient (GMAC), effective atomic number (Zeff), exposure build-up factor (EBF), and energy absorption build-up factor (EABF) for each of these samples. The GMAC and Zeff calculations were performed using the Phy-X online software, across a photon energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. Our findings suggest an inverse relationship between photon energy and GMAC, with the highest values observed for the (I) granite sample (∼18). This study shows the promising radiation shielding capacity of our samples. The insights derived from GMAC, Zeff, EBF, and EABF can serve as a guide for the development of effective, naturally sourced radiation shielding materials.

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An Extended Investigation of High-Level Natural Radioactivity and Geochemistry of Neoproterozoic Dokhan Volcanics: A Case Study of Wadi Gebeiy, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Assessing geochemical and natural radioactivity impacts of Hamadat phosphatic mine through radiological indices

Assessing geochemical and natural radioactivity impacts of Hamadat phosphatic mine through radiological indices

Assessing environmental and radiological impacts and lithological mapping of beryl-bearing rocks in Egypt using high-resolution sentinel-2 remote sensing images

Physico-mechanical properties and shielding efficiency in relation to mineralogical and geochemical compositions of Um Had granitoid, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

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