Seismic design considerations for active faulting at Yucca Mountain, NV

Conference · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5205333

Johnson, C A ^[1]; Tillson, D D ^[2]

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1. Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office, Carson City, NV (United States)
2. Tillson (David D.), Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

This paper explores the seismic hazard concerns at Yucca Mountain, NV that implicitly results from near field vibratory ground motion, fault displacement within the proposed repository block and the complexity that these two issues add to the siting and licensing process. Three major zones or belts of contemporary regional seismicity intersect in the Yucca Mountain, NV area, the proposed site for the nation's first high-level radioactive waste repository. Within a 1,000 sq. km area of the Yucca Mountain site, there are 32 known faults with demonstrated or suggested Quaternary displacements. Holocene displacement is evident on three of the faults. The maximum magnitude earthquake for the site is estimated to be somewhere between M 6.5--7.0. Free field peak ground acceleration from a maximum magnitude earthquake is estimated to range from 0.4--1.0 g. The maximum magnitude earthquake and resultant acceleration from movement on surface faults within the proposed repository block or on buried faults beneath the site without clear surface expression are estimated to be in the same range or larger. Due to the paucity of historical strong motion data recorded for near field earthquakes, estimate of potential ground motion and fault displacement effects within the repository block are extremely speculative.

• OSTI ID: 5205333
• Report Number(s): CONF-9305259--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 25:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540250 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
58 GEOSCIENCES
580000 -- Geosciences
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTHQUAKES
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GROUND MOTION
MOTION
MOUNTAINS
NEVADA
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEISMIC EVENTS
SEISMICITY
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
USA
YUCCA MOUNTAIN