Quaternary allostratigraphy of surficial deposit map units at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: A progress report
- Geological Survey, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
- Geomatrix Consultants, San Francisco, CA (United States)
- Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
Surficial geologic mapping at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is relevant to site characterization studies of paleoclimate, tectonics, erosion, flood hazards, and water infiltration. Alluvial, colluvial, and eolian allostratigraphic map units are defined on the basis of age-related surface characteristics and soil development, as well as lithology and sedimentology indicative of provenance and depositional mode. In gravelly alluvial units, which include interbedded debris flows, the authors observe a useful qualitative correlation between surface and soil properties. Map units of estimated middle Pleistocene age typically have a well-developed, varnished desert pavement, and minimal erosional and preserved depositional microrelief, associated with a soil with a reddened Bt horizon and stage 3 carbonate and silica morphology. Older units have greater erosional relief, an eroded argillic horizon and stage 4 carbonate morphology, whereas younger units have greater preservation of depositional morphology, but lack well-developed pavements, rock varnish, and Bt and Kqm soil horizons. Trench and gully-wall exposures show that alluvial, colluvial and eolian dominated surface units are underlain by multiple buried soils separating sedimentologically similar deposits; this stratigraphy increases the potential for understanding the long-term Quaternary paleoenvironmental history of Yucca Mountain. Age estimates for allostratigraphic units, presently based on uranium-trend dating and regional correlation using soil development, will be further constrained by ongoing dating studies that include tephra identification, uranium-series disequilibrium, and thermoluminescence methods.
- OSTI ID:
- 5205315
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9305259--
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Vol. 25:5; ISSN GAAPBC; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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AGE ESTIMATION
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EROSION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGY
MANAGEMENT
MAPPING
MOUNTAINS
NEVADA
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALEONTOLOGY
PETROLOGY
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SOILS
STRATIGRAPHY
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YUCCA MOUNTAIN