Radionuclides 137Cs and 40K in the soils of the Tatra National Park (TPN, Poland)

The paper presents the results of radioactivity determination of artificial 137Cs and natural 40K in soil samples taken from the Tatra Mountains in Poland (Tatra National Park – TPN). Soil samples were collected as the cores of 10 cm in diameter and 10 cm in depth. These cores were divided into 3 slices. It has been found that the content of 137Cs was the highest at the sites of the altitude over 1300 m a.s.l. The values of 137Cs concentration in the soils examined varied – from 55.8 Bqźkg–1 (dry mass) (417.8 Bqźm–2) for the Tomanowa Pass (1685 m a.s.l.) to 5111 Bqźkg–1 (dry mass) (8400 Bqźm–2) for the Krzyzne Pass (2112 m a.s.l.). In most cases, the values were lower than the average radiocaesium concentration established for Poland.