Assessment of radiogenic heat generation in a flood plain of crystalline Basement rocks

Abstract

Concentrations of radioelements in a flood plain of Crystalline Basement Complex are determined, with the aim of assessing the radiogenic heat produced in the study area. Ten soil samples are collected for analysis using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry technique from ACME Laboratories. The radiogenic heat contributions by each radioelement in the flood plain varied from 95.70 to 393.37 ρw/kg; 71.68 to 642.56 ρw/kg; and 0.0088 to 0.0188 ρw/kg for uranium, thorium and potassium respectively. However, the total radiogenic heat production varied from 167.39 to 1034.9 ρw/kg, with thorium being the major contributor to the total heat generated in the study area. Nine locations in the study area are characterized by Low Heat Potential (LHP), while the remaining one is characterized by Moderate Heat Potential. On average, the study area could be classified as LHP, which is in agreement with some of the studies in crystalline terrain of Nigeria.