Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A.

Naqvi

TOTAL AND SPECTRAL NATURAL GAMMA-RAY LOGS OF

CORE SAMPLES

Abdulkadir Aksoy*
Center for Applied Physical Sciences, Research Institute
Mahmoud M. Nagadi
Department of Physics
and
Fatah Z. Khiari and Akhtar A. Naqvi
Center for Applied Physical Sciences, Research Institute
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

:‫اﻟﺨﻼﺻــﺔ‬
،٤٠-‫ﻟﻘﺪ أﺟﺮﻳﺖ ﻓﻲ هﺬا اﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﻗﻴﺎﺳﺎت ﻣﺨﺒﺮﻳﺔ ﻷﻃﻴ ﺎف أﺷ ﻌﺔ "ﺟﺎﻣ ﺎ" اﻟﻄﺒﻴﻌﻴ ﺔ ﻟﻜ ﻞ ﻣ ﻦ اﻟﺒﻮﺗﺎﺳ ﻴﻮم‬
‫ﺳ ـﺘﻌﻤﻞ ﻟﻬ ﺬا‬
ُ ‫ وﻗ ﺪ أ‬.‫ ﻟﻌ ﺪد ﻣ ﻦ اﻟﻌﻴﻨ ﺎت اﻟﺤﻔﺮﻳ ﺔ ﻟﺒﺌ ﺮ ﻣﺤﻠ ﻲ ﻣ ﻦ اﻟ ﻨﻔﻂ‬٢٣٢-‫ واﻟﺜﻮرﻳ ﻮم‬،٢٣٨-‫واﻟﻴﻮراﻧﻴ ﻮم‬
‫ ﺳ ﻢ ﻣﻮﺻ ﻮل ﺑ ﺄﺟﻬﺰة إﻟﻜﺘﺮوﻧﻴ ﺔ و‬١٢٫٧ × ‫ ﺳ ﻢ‬١٢٫٧ ‫اﻟﻐﺮض آﺸﺎف ﻣﻦ ﻧﻮع ﻳﻮدﻳﺪ اﻟﺼﻮدﻳﻮم ﻣﻦ ﻣﻘ ﺎس‬
‫ ﻋﻴﻨ ﺔ أﺳ ﺘﺨﺮﺟﺖ ﻣ ﻦ أﻋﻤ ﺎق ﺗﺘ ﺮاوح ﻣ ﺎ‬٢٤٠ ‫ وﻗﺪ ﺑﻠ ﻎ ﻋ ﺪد اﻟﻌﻴﻨ ﺎت‬.‫ﺣﺎﺳﺐ ﺁﻟﻲ ﻟﺘﺤﺼﻴﻞ و ﺗﺤﻠﻴﻞ اﻟﺒﻴﺎﻧﺎت‬
٦٧ ‫ و‬٠٫٣ ‫ وآﺸﻔﺖ اﻟﻘﻴﺎﺳ ﺎت اﻟﻤﺨﺒﺮﻳ ﺔ أن اﻟﻨ ﺸﺎط اﻹﺷ ﻌﺎﻋﻲ ﻳﺘ ﺮاوح ﻣ ﺎ ﺑ ﻴﻦ‬.‫ ﻗﺪم‬١٦٧٧‫ ﻗﺪم و‬١٥٢٩ ‫ﺑﻴﻦ‬
‫ وﻗ ﺪ ﻟ ﻮﺣﻆ ان هﻨﺎﻟ ﻚ ﻣﻔﺎرﻓ ﺔ ﺑ ﻴﻦ اﻷﻋﻤ ﺎق‬،‫ وﻋﻨ ﺪ ﻣﻘﺎرﻧ ﺔ ه ﺬﻩ اﻟﻨﺘ ﺎﺋﺞ ﺑﻨﺘ ﺎﺋﺞ اﻟﺘﺤﺎﻟﻴ ﻞ اﻟﻤﻴﺪاﻧﻴ ﺔ‬IPA ‫وﺣﺪة‬
.‫ﺣﻴﺚ وﺻﻞ اﻟﺘﺒﺎﻳﻦ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻘﺘﻲ اﻟﺘﺤﻠﻴﻞ إﻟﻰ ﻗﺪم واﺣﺪة‬

________________________
*Author for correspondence:
KFUPM Box 416
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Dhahran 31261
Saudi Arabia
e-mail: aaksoy@kfupm.edu.sa
Paper Received 17 December 2003; Revised 27 April 2004; Accepted 1 June 2004.

January 2006 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1A. 15
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

ABSTRACT
Total and spectral gamma natural radioactivity from potassium (40K),
uranium (238U) and thorium (232Th) of core samples from a local well were
determined in the laboratory. The measurements were carried out using
a127×127mm (5″x5″) NaI(Tl) detector and an electronic setup coupled to a PC-
based data acquisition and analysis system. The data analyses of 240 samples for
the depths from 466 to 511m (1529 to 1677 ft) showed that the activities ranged
from 0.3 to 67 API units. The results from laboratory measurements were
compared with those of field well logging measurements. It was observed that the
resolution of laboratory measurements was better than that of well logging and it
was found that there was a depth shift of (1 ft) between the data of the two types
of measurements. The spectral gamma logs for potassium, uranium and thorium
were also deduced from the spectrum analyses.
Key words: Total and spectral natural gamma-ray logs, core samples, natural
radioactivities for potassium, uranium and thorium, NaI(Tl) detector setup.

16 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1 A. January 2006
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

1. INTRODUCTION
Gamma-ray measurements detect variations in the natural radioactivity originating from changes in concentrations
of the trace elements uranium (U) and thorium (Th) as well as changes in concentration of the major rock–forming
element potassium (K). Since the concentrations of these naturally occurring radioelements vary between different rock
types, natural gamma-ray logging provides an important tool for lithologic mapping and stratigraphic correlation.
Gamma-ray logs are important for detecting alteration zones, and for providing information on rock types. For example,
in sedimentary rocks, sandstones can be easily distinguished from shales due to the low potassium content of the
sandstones compared to the shales [1,2].
The gamma-ray log is a measurement of the natural radioactivity of the formation. In sedimentary formations the
log normally reflects the shale content of the formations. This is because the radioactive elements tend to concentrate in
clays and shales. Clean formations usually have very low level of radioactivity [3]. The gamma-ray log has been widely
used in geological interpretation for many years as a mean to assess both shale content and implied grain-size variation
[4]. The gamma-ray log results can be used for mineral identification and determination of petrophysical parameters such
as volume and type of shale, etc., [1–11]. Such information helps in characterizing the geological environment of the
area or the ore reservoir being studied [8]. Especially in oil well logging, the results of the gamma logs need to be
verified by laboratory measurements of core samples which provide more accurate measurements of the gamma-ray
activities of the samples and clarifies if there were any depth shift in the well logging data [11].
2. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
The natural gamma-ray spectrometry facility at the Center for Applied Physical Sciences (CAPS) consists of a
127×127mm (5″x5″) NaI(Tl) detector with 7.3% energy resolution for the 662 keV line of 137Cs, signal processing
electronics, and a PC-based data acquisition and analysis system. The detector is well surrounded with 91.6 mm (4″) of
lead shielding which reduces the room background by 90%. Spectra are collected in a 4096 channel analyzer and energy
calibrated with standard gamma-ray sources (22Na and 60Co). The energy of the measured natural spectrum ranged from
100 to 3000 keV.
A set of standard samples, using the same geometry as core samples, were used for the radioelement concentration
calibration: the standards were from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, Vienna), and the National Institute
of Standard and Technology (NIST, U.S.A.). The Minimum Detection Limit which is the lowest measurable element
content for each of the elements was determined for the facility and was reported to be 16 µg for U; 54 µg for Th; and 15
mg for K, while the sensitivities were smaller than 1 ppm for U and Th and around 150 ppm (or 0.015 wt.%) for K for
100 g samples. After counting, the spectra were stored and data analyses were carried out off-line using the Maestro-II
software package from Ortec. The experimental facility is described in detail elsewhere [13–15].
The core samples consisted of two parts. The first part was covering the log samples from 466–511m (1529–1617
ft) and was having few gaps from which samples were missing. The second part was from the depth of 493–511 m (1617
to 1677 ft) and was continuous. The total gamma radioactivity of 240 samples from the depth interval of 1529 to 1677 ft
were measured. Each sample corresponds to a core length of 152 mm (6″) and 91.6 mm (4″) diameter. The cores were in
pieces of about 0.9m (3 ft) length each. The lead shielding was arranged to have a 91.6 mm (4″) diameter through hole,
through which a core piece could slide over the detector that could only see 152 mm (6″) of the core sample. Figure 1
shows a sample gamma-ray spectrum from the core sample. Peaks of the spectrum are: 609 keV of 214Bi (from 238U)
together with 583 keV of 208Tl (from 232Th), 1461 keV of 40K, 1765 keV of 214Bi (from 238U-series), and 2615 keV of
208
Tl (from 232Th-series) and the other gamma peaks from the 214Bi, and 208Tl from 238U and 232Th series. The region of
interest (ROI) for the total gamma radioactivity was selected from 500 up to 2937 keV [13]. This was large enough to
include all the gamma peaks of interest mentioned above. The measurement time for each run was 15 minutes. This was
enough to acquire data with good statistics of ≤1% error (for 1 sigma) and complete the 240 measurements in a
reasonable time (≈60 hours). The total natural background from U, Th, and K was also measured and was subtracted
from each total count in the ROI. The net total counts in the ROI were then used for the data analysis. The electronic
dead time was less than 0.1% in all runs. One should also mention that coincidence corrections, the effect from the high
energy gamma peaks on the low energy ones [16], were not considered, because the activities were low and the ROI
selected was large enough to cover both low and high gamma peaks of interest and the emphasis was on the
measurements of total gamma radioactivity, rather than individual radioactivity from U, Th, and K.

January 2006 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1A. 17
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

Figure 1. A sample spectrum for total gamma-ray measurements of the core samples from a local well logging. The core sample was
of 152mm (6″) length and 91.6mm (4″) diameter. The counting time was 15 minutes.

In well logs, in addition to the concentrations of the three individual radioactive elements, a total (standard) gamma-
ray curve is usually recorded. The total response is determined by a linear combination of the uranium, thorium, and
potassium concentrations. It is simply the summation of gamma-rays from uranium, thorium, and potassium. This
standard curve is expressed in American Petroleum Institute (API) units. The API units are defined as total counts from
the activity of an average shale, considered to contain 6 ppm of U, 12 ppm of Th, and 2% of K. Consequently, such a
shale will read in the vicinity of 100 API units on the total gamma-rays logs [11;12]. Therefore, by measuring the
standards that have certified values of U, Th, or K, the total counts from the gamma peaks of U, Th, and K in each
sample, were converted to the API units. In order to better explain the API definition the following formula could be
written:
From the measurements of certified standards one can calculate the number of counts corresponding to 1 ppm of U, 1
ppm of Th and 1% of K which could be named as N1, N2 , and N3 respectively. Then
6 N1 + 12N2 +2N3 = No ≡ 100 API.
Thus, the total activity of each sample in API units could be calculated as follows:
(N / No) x 100 API ,
where N is the total number of counts corresponding the total radioactivity in each of the samples.
The spectral gamma activity trends were deduced by analyzing the spectra. The 1460 keV gamma energy of 40K,
1765 of 214Bi for uranium and 2615 keV of 208Tl for thorium were analyzed. The ROI for K, U, and Th peaks were large
enough to cover the peaks of interest: the width of ROI was 270 keV for K, 350 keV for 214Bi, and 400 keV for 208Tl.

18 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1 A. January 2006
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Total gamma radioactivity for all the samples corresponding to the depth interval of 466–511 m (1629-1677 ft) were
plotted versus corresponding depths. One should notice that core samples from the 472–475 m (1548 to 1555.5ft) depth
and the 485 m (1591ft) and 486.5 m (1596 ft) intervals were missing. The data were then interpolated and are shown in
Figure 2. The results of total gamma radioactivity ranged from about 0.3 to 67 API units. The uncertainties were
statistical and ranged between 0.8 to 1.6%. There were zones of high radioactivity such as between the depths of 467,
467.5, and 483 m (1532, 1534, and 1585 ft) and between 493 and 494 m (1618–1623 ft) as well as at 498.5 and 501 m
(1636 and 1643 ft), while the radioactivity was low in the zones of 495 and 495.5 m (1624 and 1626 ft) as well as 506
and 507 m (1661 and 1663 ft). Total gamma radioactivity laboratory data for the continuous part of the samples
corresponding to the depth interval of 493 to 511 m (1617-1677 ft) were compared with the data from well logging for
the same depths as plotted in Figure 3. The solid lines are for the well logging data and the dashed lines are for core data
at CAPS.

Figure 2. The total gamma-ray radioactivity of the core samples for the depth interval of 466 to 511m (1529 to 1677 ft). It is seen from
the figure that for the depth intervals of 472–474m (1548–1555.5) ft and 485–486.5m (1591–1596 ft) data were missing.
One can see good agreement between both data sets. As expected, the laboratory measurements had better
resolution because in well logging measurements the detector scanning movement down the well is fast (around 20
ft/min), thus the counting statistics are poor and results in less resolution. On the other hand and as can be seen in Figure
3, it was observed that there was a depth shift of about 1 ft between both data sets. This shows that the well logging data
depths need to be corrected by 1 ft to correlate with the core log. The activities of K, U, and Th radioisotopes from each
spectrum were determined and are plotted in Figure 4a and Figure 4b. In these figures the spectral activities were also
compared with the total activity. The spectra trends were agreeing with the total radioactivity as expected. Figures 4a, 4b
and 4c could also be used to show the presence of K, U, and Th in core sample at the depth of interest.

January 2006 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1A. 19
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

Figure 3. Comparison of well-logging and laboratory measurements of the total gamma-ray natural radioactivity of the core samples
from a local field well for the continuous depth interval of 493 to 511m (1617 to 1677 ft). The solid line shows the data from gamma-
ray logging of the shale, while the dashed line shows the results of the laboratory gamma-ray measurements of cores from the shale.

Figure 4(a). The spectral gamma-ray radioactivity of potassium in core samples together with the total radioactivity for the depth
interval from 466 to 511m (1529 to 1677 ft). One should note that for the depth intervals of 472–474m (1548–1555.5 ft) and 485–
486.5m (1591–1596 ft) data were missing.

20 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1 A. January 2006
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

Figure 4(b). The spectral gamma-ray radioactivity of uranium and thorium in core samples together with the total radioactivity for
the depth interval from 466 to 511m (1529 to 1677 ft). One should note that for the depth intervals of 472–474m (1548–1555.5 ft) and
485–486.5m (1591–1596 ft) data were missing.

Figure 4(c). The spectral gamma-ray radioactivity of uranium and thorium in core samples for the depth interval from 466 to 511m
(1529 to 1677 ft). One should indicate that for the depth intervals to 472–474m (1548–1555.5 ft) and 485–486.5m (1591–1596 ft) data
were missing.

January 2006 The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Volume 31, Number 1A. 21
 Abdulkadir Aksoy, Mahmoud M. Nagadi, Fatah Z. Khiari, and Akhtar A. Naqvi

4. CONCLUSION
In this study total and spectral gamma natural radioactivity of 120 ft core samples from a local well were measured.
The results of laboratory measurements were compared with those of the field well logging data and a good degree of
correlation was found. An important observation was that there was a 1 ft depth shift between the data of the two types of
measurements.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is part of KFUPM/RI Center for Applied Physical Sciences supported by the Research Institute of King
Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
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