Monte Carlo calculations for gamma-ray mass attenuation coefficients of some soil samples

•Gamma-ray mass attenuation coefficients of soils.•Radiation shielding properties of soil.•Comparison of calculated results with the theoretical and experimental ones.•The method can be applied to various media.

We developed a simple Monte Carlo code to determine the mass attenuation coefficients of some soil samples at nine different gamma-ray energies (59.5, 80.9, 122.1, 159.0, 356.5, 511.0, 661.6, 1173.2 and 1332.5 keV). Results of the Monte Carlo calculations have been compared with tabulations based upon the results of photon cross section database (XCOM) and with experimental results by other researchers for the same samples. The calculated mass attenuation coefficients were found to be very close to the theoretical values and the experimental results.