## 3 Results and Discussion  
According to the TAEK [25] report, the average activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and Cs-137 in the districts of the Southeastern nationolia region of Turkiye are provided in Table 3. Among these, Mardin has the highest Ra-226 value at 33.66 Bq kg\({}^{-1}\), which is higher than the Turkiye mean but lower than the global median. The Ra-226 activity concentration in Mardin is the highest among all provinces in the Southeastern Anatolia region. The average activity concentrations of Th-232 in the Southeastern Anatolia region are all lower than the Turkiye mean. In Mardin, the Th-232 concentration is 29.37 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is also lower than the global mean. The K-40 activity concentration in Mardin is 385.63 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), ranking in the mid-range compared to other provinces in the region. However, this value is lower than both the Turkiye mean and the global median. Lastly, the Cs-137 activity concentration in Mardin is 20.52 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), making it the highest among the provinces in the region. This concentration is also higher than the Turkiye mean. Table 4 presents the coordinates of the districts of Mardin province along with the mean activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and Cs-137 radionuclides obtained \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Province**} & **Num. of** & **Ra-226** & **Th-232** & **K-40** & **Cs-137** & \multirow{2}{*}{**Ref.**} \\  & **Samples** & **(Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\))** & **(Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\))** & **(Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\))** & **(Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\))** & **Ref.** \\ \hline Mardin & 23 & 33.66 & 29.37 & 385.63 & 20.52 & \\ Adyaman & 32 & 23.98 & 29.09 & 402.20 & 6.58 & \\ Batman & 12 & 30.17 & 30.58 & 471.17 & 14.05 & \\ Diyarbakur & 27 & 23.45 & 19.76 & 368.70 & 16.02 & \\ Gaziantep & 23 & 26.29 & 24.78 & 225.22 & 6.29 & \\ Kilis & 19 & 18.80 & 17.60 & 222.09 & 11.11 & \\ Siirt & 19 & 28.50 & 30.16 & 497.41 & 10.22 & \\ Sanluurfa & 24 & 27.58 & 29.82 & 330.13 & 11.12 & \\ Surnak & 24 & 32.45 & 26.46 & 339.33 & 18.57 & \\ \hline Turkiye & \multirow{2}{*}{1913} & \multirow{2}{*}{27.56} & \multirow{2}{*}{32.65} & \multirow{2}{*}{439.93} & \multirow{2}{*}{12.03} & \multirow{2}{*}{[24]} \\ (mean) & & & & & & \\ \hline World & \multirow{2}{*}{N/A} & \multirow{2}{*}{35.00} & \multirow{2}{*}{30.00} & \multirow{2}{*}{400.00} & \multirow{2}{*}{N/A} & \multirow{2}{*}{[1]} \\ (median) & & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} N/A: Not available.  
\end{table} 
Table 3: Comparison of average activity concentrations of districts in the Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkiye (taken from TAEK, [24]). from the TAEK [24] report. Based on Table 4, the spatial distribution of Ra-226 activity concentrations in Mardin' s districts are illustrated in Figure 4a, while comparisons among the districts are shown in Figure 4b. The Ra-226 activity concentrations range between 15.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) and 62.55 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), with an average of 33.66 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is higher than the Turkish average of 27.56 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The maximum Ra-226 activity concentration was found in the Omerli district, with a value of 62.55 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), and five out of ten districts exceeded the UNSCEAR world median of 35.00 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\); the lowest value was observed in Yesilli district at 15.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The spatial distribution of Th-232 activity concentrations is depicted in Figure 5a, and comparisons among the districts are provided in Figure 5b. The Th-232 activity concentrations vary between 25.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) and 45.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), with an average of 29.37 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is lower than the Turkish average of 32.65 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The highest Th-232 activity concentration was detected in the Mazdagi district, with a value of 45.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), and four out of ten districts exceeded the UNSCEAR world median of 30.00 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\).