Midyear FY 1983 Richton Dome screening and suitability review
The NWTS screening of Gulf Coast salt domes for suitable nuclear waste repository sites identified three candidate domes. These are, in order of preference, Richton Dome, Mississippi; Vacherie Dome, Louisiana; and Cypress Creek Dome, Mississippi. A qualitative review of information obtained since this initial ranking gives no basis for revising this ranking. A review of unresolved siting issues at Richton Dome shows siting concerns presently center on the geologic stability and hydrology suitability of Richton Dome and vicinity. Tectonic concerns of regional uplift and faulting are examined, as are salt tectonic concerns related to salt dome movement and dissolution. Both geologic and geodetic data suggest the Mississippi Salt Basin is experiencing uplift. However, uplift rates estimated from geologic evidence are an order of magnitude less than rates estimated from releveling data. Faults are present throughout much of the basin, and most are the result of horizontal and vertical movements of the Louann Salt during the Cretaceous and Early Tertiary. Several faults are present in the sediments surrounding Richton Dome, but current evidence suggests no movements have occurred since the Miocene. Richton Dome's hydrologic suitability is considered in analysis of the regional ground-water flow system. A three-dimensional, ground-water flow model has been utilized to calculate travel paths and travel times for releases of contaminants from various points on the dome. Based on model analyses, a release at repository level would take nearly 39,000 years to reach the upper aquifer and would eventually discharge into the Leaf River or upper reaches of the Pascagoula River over 50 km from the dome. This estimate of travel time greatly exceeds the minimum 1000 year travel time required by proposed Department of Energy (DOE) guidelines. 76 references.
- Research Organization:
- ERTEC, Inc., Long Beach, CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830; AC02-83CH10140
- OSTI ID:
- 5920399
- Report Number(s):
- ONWI-484; ON: DE83016877
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
510500 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
FEDERAL REGION IV
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
HYDROLOGY
MANAGEMENT
MISSISSIPPI
NORTH AMERICA
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SALT DEPOSITS
SCREENING
SITE SELECTION
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT