Radon measurements for earthquake prediction along the North Anatolian Fault Zone: A progress report

Radon (²²²Rn) concentration has been continuously measured since 1983 in groundwater at a spring and in subsurface soil gas at five sites along a 200 km segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone near Bolu, Turkey. The groundwater radon concentration showed a significant increase before the Biga earthquake of magnitude 5.7 on 5 July 1983 at an epicentral distance of 350 km, and a long-term increase between March 1983 and April 1985. The soil-gas radon concentration showed large changes in 1985, apparently not meteorologically induced. The soil-gas and groundwater data at Bolu did not show any obvious correlation.