Groundwater Radon in the Taiwan Subduction Zone

ISBN-13: 9789819953493 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023

Ming-Ching Tom  Kuo

Opis

This book presents the mechanism of in-situ radon volatilization and outlines the geological requisites to site a radon monitoring well for earthquake warning. A small fractured aquifer under undrained conditions is an effective natural strain meter for earthquake prediction. It shows significant merit on a local basis, and most importantly, the analysis can also be applied globally in subduction zones with similar tectonic settings and physical–chemical relationships.Between 2003 and 2010, anomalous declines in groundwater radon concentration were recurrently recorded at Antung, Taiwan, which are considered as precursory to local major earthquakes. The correlations between radon decline and earthquake magnitude are useful for early warning of local main earthquakes. The book consists of 7 chapters. Chapter 1 presents background information and the objectives of the book. Chapter 2 illustrates the methods of monitoring groundwater radon and a brief review of earthquake prediction research using groundwater radon. Chapter 3 provides the details of anomalous decrease in groundwater radon before the Taiwan Mw 6.8 Chengkung Earthquake of 2003. Chapter 4 provides the description of the mechanism of groundwater-radon volatilization. Chapter 5 shows the recurrent anomalous declines in groundwater radon concentration consistently recorded at Antung, Taiwan, prior to local main earthquakes that occurred between 2003 and 2010. Monitoring groundwater radon in small, unconfined fractured aquifers is explained in Chapter 6, followed by an analysis of correlating precursory declines in groundwater radon, precursory time with earthquake magnitudes for small, confined fractured aquifers in Chapter 7.

Spis treści

1 Introduction

1.1   Background and Objectives

1.2   Organization of the Book

References

2 Methods of Monitoring Groundwater Radon

2.1   Introduction

2.2   Collection of Groundwater Samples

2.2.1   Single-Phase Groundwater Samples

2.2.2   Two-Phase Samples of Geo-Fluids 

2.3   Determination of Radon Activity

2.3.1   Liquid Scintillation Counting Method

2.3.2   ZnS Scintillation Counting Method

2.3.3   Continuous Measurement of Radon in Groundwater

2.4   Radon Distributions in Groundwater near an Active Fault

2.5   Application of Groundwater Radon for Earthquake Prediction Research

References

3 Anomalous Radon Decline at Antung Hot Spring before the 2003 Mw 6.8 Chengkung Earthquake

3.1   Introduction

3.2   Radon Monitoring at Antung near the Longitudinal Valley Fault 

3.3   Radon Anomaly before the 2003 Mw 6.8 Chengkung Earthquake

3.4   Criticism of Radon as a Precursor

References

4 A Physical Mechanism of Groundwater-Radon Volatilization

4.1   Introduction

4.2   Suitable Geological Conditions

4.3   In-Situ Radon-Volatilization Mechanism

4.4   In-Situ Volatilization Mechanism for Groundwater-Dissolved Gas

References

5 Recurrences of Radon Anomalies Precursory to Local Main Earthquakes at Antung Hot Spring

5.1   Introduction

5.2   Recurrences of Radon Anomalies Observed at Antung D1 Well

5.3   Aquifer Transmissivity as a Complementary Precursor

5.4   Confirmation of In-Situ Volatilization Mechanism: Ruling out Hypothesis of Groundwater Mixing

5.5   Favorable Geological Conditions for In-situ Gas-Bubble Development

References

6 Anomalous Radon Declines in Small Unconfined Aquifers: Corroboration of Favorable Geological Conditions

6.1   Introduction

6.2   Geological Settings of Paihe Spring versus Antung Hot Spring

6.3   Anomalous Radon Declines before the 2010 Mw 6.3 Jiasian and 2016 Mw 6.4 Meinong Earthquakes: Paihe Spring, Taiwan

6.4   Anomalous Gas Declines before the 1984 M 6.8 Western Nagano Earthquake: Byakko Spring, Japan

References

7 Anomalous Radon Declines in Small Confined Aquifers: Evaluation of Global Data

7.1   Introduction

7.2   Japan: Radon Anomaly before the 1978 Izu-Oshima-Kinkai Earthquake (M 7.0)

7.3   Iceland: Radon Anomaly before the 1978 Southern Iceland Earthquake (ML 4.3)

7.4   Taiwan: Correlations for Earthquake Prediction on the Longitudinal Valley Fault

7.5   Future Prospects

References

O autorze

Ming-Ching Tom Kuo, Ph.D., is a professor of petroleum engineering at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. He gained his industrial experience while working at Stanford Research Institute, Occidental Petroleum, and Mobil. He is experienced in oil, gas, and geothermal production. His research interests include groundwater hydrology, groundwater and soil remediation, and monitoring of groundwater radon. Since 2003, his research has focused on the applications of recurrent radon precursors to forecast local large earthquakes in the Taiwan subduction zone.

Dr. Kuo earned his B.S. degree in chemical engineering from National Taiwan University, an M.S. in chemical engineering from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Stanford University.