## 4 Conclusions  
In this study, the average activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and Cs-137 radionuclides measured in 23 surface soil samples collected from all districts of Mardin province were obtained from the TAEK [24], Turkish Environmental Radioactivity Atlas, using an HPGe detector. The spatial distributions of these activity concentrations were mapped for each district. Subsequently, radiological parameters, including Ra\({}_{\rm eq}\), D\({}_{\rm R}\), Hex, AEDE, AGDE, and ELCR, were calculated to assess risk analysis. The activity concentrations and radiological parameters were compared with the Turkish average values and the UNSCEAR global median values to conduct an environmental risk assessment. According to the obtained data, the average activity concentration of Ra-226 in Mardin province is 33.66 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is higher than both the Turkish average of 27.56 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) and the UNSCEAR global median of 35.00 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The highest Ra-226 concentration was found in Omerli district, and five out of ten districts exceeded the UNSCEAR global median. The average Th-232 concentration is 29.37 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is lower than both the Turkish average of 32.65 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) and the UNSCEAR global median of 30.00 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The highest Th-232 concentration was observed in Mazdag\({}_{1}\) district at 45.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), with four out of ten districts exceeding the UNSCEAR global median. The average K-40 concentration is 385.63 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is lower than the Turkish average of 439.93 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) but higher than the UNSCEAR global median. The highest K-40 concentration of 450.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) was detected in the Artuklu, Kiziltepe, Mazdag, Midyat, and Omerli districts, with five out of ten districts exceeding the UNSCEAR global median of 400.00 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The average Cs-137 concentration is 20.52 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\), which is higher than the Turkish average of 12.03 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\). The maximum Cs-137 concentration of 75.05 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) was found in Yesilli district, and seven out of ten districts exceeded the Turkish average. The relatively high Cs-137 activity concentration, which is largely anthropogenic, suggests the need for further investigation to prevent potential environmental impacts in residential areas. Regarding the radiological parameters calculated from the activity concentrations, the Ra\({}_{\rm eq}\) value did not exceed the UNSCEAR global median of 370 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) in any district, with the highest value being 147.32 Bq\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\) in Omerli. Additionally, the Artuklu,  
Figure 13: **(a)** Spatial distribution of ELCR. **(b)** Comparison of ELCR. The color range used in the **(a)** represents varying levels of radioactivity. The red color indicates values that exceed the UNSCEAR average, which are considered higher than typical background levels. Kiziltepe, Mazdag, and Midyat districts exceeded the Turkish average of 108.12 Bq-kg\({}^{-1}\). The D\({}_{\rm R}\) parameter exceeded the UNSCEAR global median of 60 nGy/h in Omerli district (69.28 nGy/h) and in Midyat district. The H\({}_{\rm ex}\) parameter remained below the threshold limit of 1 in all districts, with Omerli having the highest value at 0.39 and Nussaybin the lowest at 0.21. The AEDE parameter exceeded the UNSCEAR global median of 70 microSv/year in Omerli (84.97 microSv/year), as well as in the Mazdag and Midyat districts. The AGDE parameter exceeded the UNSCEAR global median of 300 microSv/year in Omerli (481.10 microSv/year) and in the Artuklu, Derik, Kiziltepe, Mazdag, and Midyat districts. The ELCR parameter reached the UNSCEAR global median of 0.00029 only in Omerli, while the other districts had lower values.