Distribution of primordial radionuclides in surface soils from Serbia and Montenegro

The specific activities of primordial radionuclides in soil samples from 21 different locations in Serbia and Montenegro were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry. The results obtained were compared with those from other studies conducted worldwide. Concentrations of radionuclides in soils analyzed in this study ranged from 1.28 to 4.80 ppm for uranium, from 5.26 to 19.0 ppm for thorium, and from 0.97% to 2.87% for potassium. The mean concentrations of U (2.76 ppm) and Th (10.4 ppm) are similar to the world average (2.64 and 11.1 ppm for U and Th, respectively), whereas the mean concentration of K (1.98%) is about 1.4 times higher than world average value (1.37%).