Aliyeva A.R.¹, Alizada N.O.¹, Aliyev Ch.S.¹, Aliyev F.A.^1,2

¹ Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Azerbaijan, 119, H. Javid Ave., Baku, AZ1073: aliyevaa22@gmail.com, nigar.alizada013@gmail.com, aliyev.chingiz47@gmail.com, fuad.aliyev107@gmail.com

² Khazar University (Neftchilar Campus), Azerbaijan, 41, Mahsati Ganjavi str., Baku, AZ1096

DOI: 10.35714/ggistrat20260100025

Summary: Mud volcanoes transport large volumes of breccia to the surface, composed of rock fragments derived from deep strata. The solid ejecta of mud volcanoes therefore represent an important source of information for determining the stratigraphic age of ancient sediments. This study presents the results of radiometric, microfaunal, gamma-spectrometric and neutron activation analyses carried out to determine the natural radioactivity and the distribution of trace elements in solid ejecta from the Dashgil mud volcano at different stratigraphic ages. Microfaunal analysis indicates that the samples belong to the Upper Miocene (Sarmatian). Radiometric measurements show that the equivalent gamma dose rate of the samples ranges from 58 to 90 nSv/h. Gamma-spectrometric analyses reveals that the activity concentrations vary within 38-43 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, 28-37 Bq/kg for ²³²Th, and 600-750 Bq/kg for ⁴⁰K. Furthermore, neutron activation analysis was used to determine the trace element composition of the bedrock. The average mass fractions were found to be 8.1 ppm for Th, 2.6 ppm for U, 4.3 ppm for Hf, and 13.6 ppm for Sc, while the total rare earth element content averages 93.5 ppm. The findings of this study may contribute to the integration of geological data for the stratigraphic subdivision of sediments of various ages, particularly in cases where faunal and floral remains are absent.

Keywords: Dashgil mud volcano, solid ejecta, stratigraphic age, radiometric analysis, microfaunal analysis, gamma-spectrometric method, neutron activation analysis


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