1992: When things began to move at Yucca Mountain
- DOE, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
- SAIC, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
On June 29, 1992, Little Skull Mountain, Nevada, located 161 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, sustained a magnitude 5.6 earthquake. The epicenter of this earthquake was located about 20 km from Yucca Mountain, where suitability studies for an underground nuclear waste repository are ongoing. Though some of the older buildings erected nearby were damaged, studies of adjacent mines and tunnels revealed that the earthquake had caused no comparable damage underground. There were no immediately apparent reasons to discount the area as a suitable location for a potential geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste. The US DOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) continues its studies of the mountain. Despite concerted and long-standing political opposition within the state of Nevada that has resulted in long delays, the mountain and its environs teemed with scientific activity throughout 1992. The year, 1993, should prove even more eventful for site characterization. This paper will examine progress made on the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) during 1992 and continuing into 1993.
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States); American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 60889
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930408--Vol.1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Status of Yucca Mountain site characterization activities
1992: A Yucca Mountain progress report