Potential for water-table excursions induced by seismic events at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Inst. de Physique du Globe, Strasbourg (France)
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The possibility that 100-200 m changes in water-table elevation can be mechanically induced by earthquakes is a consideration in site studies of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. However, numerical simulations of tectonohydrologic coupling involving earthquakes typical of the Basin and Range province produce 2-3 m excursions of a water table that is 500 m below the land surface. Even displacements corresponding to extraordinary seismic events drive water-table excursions of less than 20 m. Flow resulting from earthquake-induced pore-pressure fields below the water table tends to be mainly horizontal; vertical flows that cause changes of the level of the water table are secondary. Strongly anisotropic permeability, intended to enhance vertical flow within fault zones, only doubles water-table rise in the models considered. These simulations of water-table rise compare well with observations following large earthquakes in the Basin and Range. The authors` models suggest that exceptional hydrologic and/or tectonic conditions would be required to produce substantially larger water-table rises.
- OSTI ID:
- 140881
- Journal Information:
- Geology, Vol. 19, Issue 12; Other Information: PBD: Dec 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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