Strategic influence on deep groundwater flow in the Knox Group Copper Ridge dolomite on the West Chestnut Ridge site
The Copper Ridge Dolomite of the Upper Cambrian Knox Group underlies a site at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under consideration by the Department of Energy (DOE) for a belowground waste disposal facility. The Copper Ridge was studied for DOE to understand the influence of lithology on deep groundwater flow. Three facies types are distinguished which comprise laterally continuous 1 to 4-m-thick rock units interpreted to represent upward-shallowing depositional cycles having an apparently significant effect on groundwater flow at depth. Rock core observations indicate one of the recurring facies types is characterized by thin to medium-bedded, fine-grained dolostone with planar cryptalgal laminae and thin shaley partings. Distinctive fracturing in this facies type, that may have resulted from regional structural deformation, is considered to be responsible for weathering at depth and the development of stratabound pathways of preferred groundwater flow. In addition, geophysical data suggest that one occurrence of this weathered facies type coincides with an apparent geochemical interface at depth. Geophysical data also indicate the presence of several fluid invasion horizons, traceable outside the study area, which coincide with the unweathered occurrence of this fine-grained facies type. The subcropping of recurrent zones of preferred groundwater flow at the weathered/unweathered interface may define linear traces of enhanced aquifer recharge paralleling geologic strike. Vertical projection of these zones from the weathered/unweathered rock interface to the ground surface may describe areas of enhanced infiltration. Tests to determine the role of stratigraphic controls on groundwater flow are key components of future investigations on West Chestnut Ridge.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 5903585
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-10479; ON: DE88003693
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
58 GEOSCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GROUND WATER
LIQUID FLOW
OAK RIDGE RESERVATION
STRATIGRAPHY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
DOLOMITE
LITHOLOGY
WEATHERING
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATES
FLUID FLOW
GEOLOGY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MINERALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
580100 - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989)
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)