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Anomalies have been observed in the radon content of thermal spring water at the Italian-Slovenian border. To distinguish the anomalies caused by environmental parameters (air and water temperature, barometric and hydrostatic pressure, rainfall) from those ascribed solely to earthquakes with M(L) from 1.2 to 2.5 and epicentres, R(E), within 2R(D) (R(D)--Dobrovolsky's radius), two approaches have been used: (i) correlation between time gradients of radon concentration and hydrostatic pressure, and (ii) regression trees within machine learning programs. The regression trees approach has been improved by introducing additional environmental parameters and prolonging the measuring period.

Different regression methods have been used to predict radon concentration in soil gas on the basis of environmental data, i.e. barometric pressure, soil temperature, air temperature and rainfall. Analyses of the radon data from three stations in the Krsko basin, Slovenia, have shown that model trees outperform other regression methods. A model has been built which predicts radon concentration with a correlation of 0.8, provided it is influenced only by the environmental parameters. In periods with seismic activity this correlation is much lower. This decrease in predictive accuracy appears 1-7 days before earthquakes with local magnitude 0.8-3.3.

Thermally anomalous fluids released in seismic areas in Slovenia were the subjects of geochemical monitoring. Thermal waters were surveyed from the seismically active area of Posocje (Bled and Zatolmin; NW Slovenia) and from Rogaska Slatina in eastern Slovenia. Continuous monitoring of geochemical parameters (radon concentration, electrical conductivity, and water temperature) was performed with discrete gas sampling for their (3)He/(4)He ratio. The observed values were correlated with meteorological parameters (rainfall, barometric pressure and air temperature) and with seismic activity. Only a few earthquakes occurred in the vicinity of the measuring sites during the monitoring period. Nevertheless, changes in radon concentration, water temperature, electrical conductivity and helium isotopic ratio were detected at the three thermal springs in the periods preceding the earthquakes. A close correlation was also observed of both water temperature and electrical conductivity with the Earth tide, making the observations in the selected sites a promising tool for addressing the widely debated question of earthquake prediction.

In order to support the safe operation of the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant (Westinghouse, 676 MWe PWR), the seismotectonic structure of the Krsko basin has been thoroughly investigated. As part of a wider study, a study on radon in soil gas was started in April 1999. Combined barasol detectors buried in six boreholes, two along the Orlica fault and four on either side of it, measure and record radon activity, temperature and pressure every 60 min. The results have been evaluated and the possibility of a correlation with seismic activity is discussed. Correlation between radon concentration and barometric pressure has been observed for all barasols. Preliminary results show that, at one location, the correlation coefficient between radon and barometric pressure changed sign before earthquakes.