Cities are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) due to the high density of urbanization, numerous industrial centers, and intensive agricultural activities. This study focused on soil methane and radon gas measurements in the subsurface, as well as in the atmosphere. Measurements were conducted using new gas detection instrumentation and as low-cost devices for methane gas concentrations. Maximum soil radon gas concentration was observed to be approximately 1770 ± 582 Bq/m3 at a depth of 1 m below the ground surface. The soil comprised of 64.31% sand, 20.75% silt, and 14.94% clay, and 0.526 ppm of uranium. The maximum concentration of methane was about 0.06%, at a depth of 1 m into the soil, characterized by 83% sand, 8.96% silt, and 7.89% clay. Moreover, this study focused on a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of new soil gas detection technology. The results and findings of environmental data obtained from the soil gas survey were shared with the community, whose involvement was critical in the data acquisition process.
Soil gas geochemical behaviour across buried and exposed faults during the 24 august 2016 central Italy earthquake