Measurements of radon progeny in the attached-to-aerosol and unattached-to-aerosol states were made in central New Mexico. Simultaneous measurements of attached and unattached progeny at 0.2 and 2 m were carried out over a range of meteorological and terrain conditions. The ratio of the average progeny concentrations at 2.2 to 0.2 m was 1.06 for total progeny and 1.35 for unattached progeny, indicating a net downward flux, with the unattached progeny dominating removal to the Earth's surface. Progeny/parent activity ratios greater than 1 were clearly detected (for example, at 0.2 m, the average 214Pb/218Po ratio was 1.43¿0.10), providing partial support for some previous observations. A two-particle-size model for radon progeny is able to account for the observed gradients, progeny/parent activity ratios greater than 1, and some trends in the experimental measurements as a function of meteorological conditions. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1993