A refined characterization of the alluvial geology of yucca flat and its effect on bulk hydraulic conductivity

Open-File Report 2010-1307
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office, under Interagency Agreement Department of Energy Agreement DOE DE-AI52-07NA28100
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Abstract

In Yucca Flat, on the Nevada National Security Site in southern Nevada, the migration of radionuclides from tests located in the alluvial deposits into the Paleozoic carbonate aquifer involves passage through a thick, heterogeneous section of late Tertiary and Quaternary alluvial sediments. An understanding of the lateral and vertical changes in the material properties of the alluvial sediments will aid in the further development of the hydrogeologic framework and the delineation of hydrostratigraphic units and hydraulic properties required for simulating groundwater flow in the Yucca Flat area. Previously published geologic models for the alluvial sediments within Yucca Flat are based on extensive examination and categorization of drill-hole data, combined with a simple, data-driven interpolation scheme. The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Stanford University, is researching improvements to the modeling of the alluvial section, incorporating prior knowledge of geologic structure into the interpolation method and estimating the uncertainty of the modeled hydrogeologic units.

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Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title A refined characterization of the alluvial geology of yucca flat and its effect on bulk hydraulic conductivity
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2010-1307
DOI 10.3133/ofr20101307
Edition -
Year Published 2011
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) Western Region Geology and Geophysics Science Center
Description iii, 33 p.
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
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