Uranium and U-234/U-238 isotopic ratios in some groundwater wells at Southwestern Sinai, Egypt

摘要

The present work is an attempt to study the uranium concentration and deviation in activity ratio U-234/U-238 from secular equilibrium conditions for determination the geochemical variation due to water-rock interaction. The studied wells are located in southwestern Sinai, between longitudes 33A degrees 20' and 33A degrees 26'E and latitudes 29A degrees 06' and 29A degrees 12'N. The samples were collected in February 2012 (5 samples) and also in April 2013 (5 samples). The U-concentrations were between 238 and 25,413 mBq/l which is out of permissible limits for drinking. The obtained isotopic ratio U-234/U-238 varies between 0.029 and 1.49 indicating a disturbed radioactive equilibrium between the two uranium isotopes.