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Geochemistry of Natural Components in the Near-Field Environment, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2011

Zell E. Peterman  and
Thomas A. Oliver
Zell E. Peterman
Affiliation:
peterman@usgs.gov, U.S. Geological Survey, Yucca Mountain Project Branch, MS 963 Box 25046 Denver Federal Center, 6th and Kipling Sts., Denver, CO, 80225, United States, 303-236-7883, 303-236-4930
Thomas A. Oliver
Affiliation:
taoliver@usgs.gov, S.M. Stoller Corporation, c/o U.S. Geological Survey, MS 421 Box 25046 Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO, 80225, United States
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Abstract

The natural near-field environment in and around the emplacement drifts of the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, includes the host rock, dust, seepage, and pore water. The chemical compositions of these components have been analyzed to provide a basis for assessing possible chemical and mineralogical reactions that may occur after nuclear waste is emplaced. The rock unit hosting the proposed repository has a relatively uniform chemical composition as shown by samples with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) of 9 percent for major elements. In contrast, compositional ranges of underground dust (bulk and water-soluble fractions), pore water, and seepage water are large with mean CVs ranging from 28 to 64 percent for major constituents.

Keywords

geologicchemical compositionwaste management
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 985: Symposium NN – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXX , 2006 , 0985-NN13-10
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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