26 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



of Montreal to be 0-92 X 10"^^ gm. radium per gram of rock. Utica 

 shale contains a similar amount. 



As would be anticipated, no difference between the radio-activity 

 of springs from these two formations is apparent. 



Another observation has been that thermal are usually more 

 active than cold springs. The only thermal waters investigated in 

 Canada are the Banff waters and they are more radioactive than the 

 cold springs in the East. Fresh water springs are nearly always more 

 temporarily radioactive than mineralized waters and no exceptions 

 were found among the fifty Canadian springs examined. Waters 

 from Adanac, Alfred, Potton, Lake Castor (St. Agathe) Springs, also 

 the springs in the Canadian Northern tunnel at Montreal, all have 

 relatively high radioactivity and low mineral content. In such waters 

 however, dissolved radium is usually absent. Attempts have been 

 made to find a relation between the total mineral matter in the water 

 and its radioactivity. Both the radium emanation and dissolved 

 radium content have been plotted against the mineral matter in the 

 water and against individual constituents but beyond illustrating 

 the statement just made that fresh waters usually possess a relatively 

 high activity no indication of any relation in the case of the more 

 mineralized waters was given. 



Between the radium and the calcium content of the waters, 

 no connection can be observed. A tentative relation was found in 

 the Saratoga Springs where the more active springs possessed a slightly 

 higher barium content. As barium has seldom been detected in any 

 of the Canadian waters this could not be confirmed. Undoubtedly 

 a relation between the ratio of flow and radioactivity of springs exists. 

 Unfortunately there has been no opportunity to carry out a series of 

 determinations throughout a long period of any Canadian spring. 



