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U.S. Department of Energy
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Geological-geotechnical studies for siting the Superconducting Super Collider in Illinois: results of the 1986 test drilling program. Environmental geology notes

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6808039
From 1984 through 1986, geologists from the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) conducted a thorough field investigation in northeastern Illinois to determine whether the surface and subsurface geology would be suitable for constructing the U.S. Department of Energy's 20-TeV (trillion electron volt) particle accelerator - the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). The third and final stage of test drilling in 1986 concentrated on a specific corridor proposed for the racetrack-shaped SSC that would circle deep below the surface of Kane, Kendall, and Du Page Counties. The main objective was to verify that bedrock lying under the region satisified the site criteria for construction of a 10-foot-diameter tunnel to hold the particle accelerator and the superconducting magnets, large chambers to house the laboratories and computers for conducting and recording experiments, and shafts to provide access to the subterranean facilities. Thirteen test holes, ISGS S-18 through S-30, were drilled to depths ranging from 398.2 to 646.6 feet. The field team recovered 5675 feet of bedrock core and 212 samples of glacial drift (sand, clay, gravel) for laboratory analyses and recorded on-site data that establish the thickness, distribution, lithology (composition), and other properties of the rocks lying under the study area.
Research Organization:
Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign (USA)
OSTI ID:
6808039
Report Number(s):
PB-88-229422/XAB; IL/SGS/EGN-122
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English