Fracture-lining minerals in the lower Topopah Spring Tuff at Yucca Mountain
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Fracture-lining minerals in the lower Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are being examined to characterize potential flow paths within and away from the candidate repository horizon. Fracture coatings within this interval can be divided into five categories based on rock matrix and type of fracture. Fracture coatings in the densely welded tuff above the basal vitrophyre, near the candidate repository horizon, include (1) those related to lithophysal cavities; (2) mordenite and manganese oxides on nearly planar fractures; (3) later fracture coatings consisting of zeolites, smectite, and calcite. Fracture-coating minerals in the vitrophyre are fine-grained and consist of smectite and a variety of zeolites. The non- to partially-welded vitric and/or zeolitic tuff below the vitrophyre contains fractures mostly lined by cristobalite and clinoptilolite.
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States); American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 145437
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-910435--Vol.1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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