RADIUM CONCENTRATION AND MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY MEASUREMENTS FOR CHARACTERIZING SOILS DEVOTED TO CEREAL CULTIVATION

In order to characterize soil samples collected in two different agricultural areas of Potenza suburbs (Southern Italy) devoted to durum wheat cultivation, we used the combination of two techniques: magnetic susceptibility measurements and effective radium concentration obtained from radon emanation. Magnetic susceptibility measurements are generally used as a proxy method for monitoring heavy metals in soil. Radium concentration and radon exhalation rate from soil are used for characterizing different soils. First results suggest that effective radium concentrations in soils can be helpful for the interpretation of magnetic susceptibility field surveys.