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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 drilling large-diameter holes in 1986. Environmental geology notes

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6808057
The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) has completed an extensive four-year exploration of the area near Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) at Batavia, 30 miles west of Chicago. The comprehensive investigation was conducted to locate the most suitable site for construction and operation of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) - a 20-trillion electron volt (TeV) subatomic particle accelerator. Underlying the proposed site in northeastern Illinois, between 250 and 600 feet deep, are the Galena and Platteville dolomites - strong, stable, nearly impermeable bedrock. To confirm that these bedrock units are suitable for construction of the SSC, ISGS geologists designed a four-year study including test drilling, rock sampling and analysis, geophysical logging, hydrogeologic studies, and seismic exploration. Initially, the study covered parts of six counties. Subsequent research focused on successively smaller areas until the final stage of test drilling in spring 1986 concentrated on a proposed corridor for the SSC tunnel. From 1984 to 1986, thirty 3-inch-diameter test holes were drilled and more than 2 miles of bedrock core was recovered for stratigraphic description and geotechnical analysis.
Research Organization:
Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign (USA)
OSTI ID:
6808057
Report Number(s):
PB-88-229414/XAB; IL/SGS/ENG-124
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English