Seismicity on the area of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

Technical Report · Thu May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:6844298

Sanford, A; Sanford, S; Wallace, T; Barrows, L; Sheldon, J; Ward, R; Johansen, S; Merritt, L

Since April 1974, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT) has operated a short-period vertical-component seismograph 7 km from the center of the WIPP site. Peak magnifications ranged from 405 K to 1400 K. In the time period from April 1974 to February 1979, approximately 500 earthquakes were recorded by the instrument to distances as great as 660 km. With the aid of readings from stations operated by other organizations, epicenters and magnitudes for 159 earthquakes within about 300 km of the WIPP site were obtained. The greatest concentration of seismic activity is centered on the Central Basin Platform. This zone of activity, approximately 120 km in a NS direction and 100 km in an EW direction, approaches to within 60 km of the site. Other significant clusters of earthquakes occur near Synder, Big Springs and Valentine, Texas. Comparable levels of earthquake activity are observed within 100, 200, and 300 km of the site. Most reported Quaternary faulting lies to the west of 104.3/sup 0/W longitude. Comparable levels of activity were observed to the east and west of this longitude indicating the observed distribution of earthquake activity is probably not representative of the long-term (500,000 years) seismicity of the region. Several lines of evidence suggest that most earthquakes from the Delaware Basin eastward are induced by the production of hydrocarbons, but absolutely convincing proof is lacking. If due to natural tectonic forces, an extrapolation of the observed earthquake-frequency relation indicates an earthquake of magnitude 5 1/2 is possible somewhere within 300 km of the site each 100 years.

• Research Organization: New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro (USA). Dept. of Geoscience; Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6844298
• Report Number(s): SAND-80-7096; TRN: 80-019222
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
58 GEOSCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
NEW MEXICO
SEISMICITY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
PILOT PLANTS
EARTHQUAKES
SALT DEPOSITS
TECTONICS
TEXAS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MANAGEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
SEISMIC EVENTS
SOUTHWEST REGION
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
580201 - Geophysics- Seismology & Tectonics- (1980-1989)
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)