Geophysical methods in radon risk studies

The results of the studies presented in the paper have shown that in the Upper Silesian Region in Poland, radon indoor concentration levels depend first of all on the geological structure of the subsurface layers. The essential factors influencing radon migration ability are the mining-induced transformations of a rock mass. In some cases, significant variations of radon potential have been found at sites featuring similar geological structures and experiencing comparable mining effects. To find out the causes of these variations, studies involving geophysical methods such as electrical resistivity profiling (PE) and electrical resisitivity sounding (VES) were used. These studies have shown that the measurements made using the electrical resistivity method can be helpful in evaluating radon potential of both the tectonically disturbed areas and the mining-transformed ones.