Abstract

The presence of 137Cs was detected in soil samples from thi rteen sites along parallel 33°,3S at altitudes in the range from 900 to 1800 masl along the Maipo River canyon, near Santiago, the Chilean capital city. Gamma spectros copic analyses performed to the samples allowed identification of radionuclides emitted in the decay processes of the natural precursors 238U, 239Th together with primordial 40K. Concentrations of 137Cs relative to 40K showed significant variations. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.