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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Assessment of faulting and seismic hazards at Yucca Mountain

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/137508· OSTI ID:137508
Yucca Mountain is being evaluated for the nation`s first high-level nuclear-waste repository. Local faults appear to be capable of moderate earthquakes at recurrence intervals of tens of thousands of years. The major issues identified for the preclosure phase (<100 yrs) are the location and seismic design of surface facilities for handling incoming waste. It is planned to address surface fault rupture by locating facilities where no discernible recent (<100,000 yrs) faulting has occurred and to base the ground motion design on hypothetical earthquakes, postulated on nearby faults, that represent 10,000 yrs of average cumulative displacement. The major tectonic issues identified for the postclosure phase (10,000 yrs) are volcanism (not addressed here) and potential changes to the hydrologic system resulting from a local faulting event which could trigger potential thermal, mechanical, and chemical interactions with the ground water. Extensive studies are planned for resolving these issues. 33 refs., 3 figs.
Research Organization:
Science Applications International Corp., Las Vegas, NV (United States); Science Applications International Corp., Las Vegas, NV (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC08-87NV10576
OSTI ID:
137508
Report Number(s):
DOE/NV/10576--T3; ON: DE89016000
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English