Characterization of a desert soil sequence at Yucca Mountain, NV
- Foothill Engineering, Inc., Mercury, NV (United States)
- Geological Survey, Mercury, NV (United States)
Morphological descriptions, borehole geophysics, hydraulic properties from samples, and a ponding experiment were used to characterize a layered, heterogeneous, desert soil sequence at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Nine major horizon units were identified using standard morphologic techniques and borehole geophysics. The borehole geophysical logging data correlated well with the observed horizons from the exposure and/or the corresponding washout zones. In addition, the geophysical logs provide a quantitative estimate of porosity for the horizons with porosity ranging from 25 to 55 percent. As part of an infiltration experiment, over 50,000 liters of water were applied to a 3.5 m diameter ring during a 14 day period. The final wetting depth was 5 meters. When water application was stopped, redistribution allowed water to continue downward to a maximum depth of 7.4 meters in the next several months. Water content measurements made over time indicate that the horizons had a major influence on the flow of water in the soil and may have caused over 80 percent of the water applied to move laterally.
- Research Organization:
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), New York, NY (United States); American Nuclear Society (ANS), La Grange Park, IL (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 60999
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940553-Vol.4; TRN: 94:010821-0122
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International high-level radioactive waste management conference, Las Vegas, NV (United States), 22-26 May 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of High Level Radioactive Waste Management: Proceedings of the fifth annual international conference. Volume 4; PB: 1048 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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