Soil gas radon: a tool for exploring active fault zones

The profile of soil gas radon was monitored in five active fault sites in northern and northwestern Greece. Measurements were carried out during summer months, using CR-39 solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). The spatial distribution of radon along lines traversing the fault zones revealed anomalies, clearly connected to the local tectonic structure. Specifically, increased radon signals evolved on the radon background level, in the vicinity of the faults' axes and the signal-to-background ratio ranged from 2 to 13. The consistency of this pattern confirms that the radon technique is powerful in the detection and mapping of active fault zones.