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Title: Ground motion evaluations at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, with applications to repository conceptual design and siting

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:60602

The ground motion at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was evaluated, and its effect on siting and conceptual design of a prospective nuclear waste repository was considered. Two levels of ground motion are proposed in this report for seismic design, the higher level for design of facilities classified as important for off-site radiological safety, the lower level for on-site safety. It is recommended that a probabilistic approach be used to define ground motions with a 2000-year return period for the higher level and a 500-year return period for the lower level. Probabilistic seismic hazard models were developed both for earthquakes and for underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). Probabilistic analyses yielded horizontal peak ground acceleration (PGA) values of 0.25 g and 0.40 g for the 500-year and the 2000-year earthquake ground motions, respectively. Similar analyses for UNEs yielded horizontal PGA values of 0.125 g and 0.15 g for the two levels. Although the PGA levels for design UNEs are less than those for design earthquakes, the UNE horizontal response spectrum exceeds that for earthquakes for periods greater than about 1 sec at the higher level (2000-year) and for periods greater than about 0.4 sec at the lower level (500-year). This report also presents results on the dynamic response of candidate sites for surface facilities and the type of data required in the seismic design of underground facilities.

Research Organization:
URS/John A. Blume and Associates, Engineers, San Francisco, CA (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
60602
Report Number(s):
SAND-85-7104; ON: DE86009553
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Feb 1986
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English