DOCSLIB.ORG

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, Revision 22 to Updated

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nine Mile Point Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, Revision 22 to Updated NMP Unit 2 USAR 2.5 GEOLOGY, SEISMOLOGY, AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING This section provides information regarding the seismic and geologic characteristics of the site and region surrounding the site. Extensive geologic and related explorations were conducted at Unit 2, and can be categorized as: 1) general exploration; 2) bedrock investigation and mapping; 3) supplementary geologic exploration; and 4) rock mechanics investigation. Extensive geophysical surveys were performed, including seismic refraction profiling and downhole logging. The principal consultant for performing these studies was Dames & Moore, as identified in Section 1.4.5. Unit 2 is located on the southeast shore of Lake Ontario near Scriba, within a portion of the Central Lowlands Physiographic Province and the northern part of the Appalachian Basin Geologic Province. Unit 2 is situated within the Eastern Stable Platform Tectonic Province. The results of the investigations indicate that the site is relatively tectonically stable and is free of major active tectonic structures. There are no known capable faults within 8 km of the site, and there is no potential for surface faulting within the site area. The subsurface materials at the Unit 2 site are not adversely affected by collapse, subsidence, or uplift. The ground motion level for the SSE was calculated using conservative correlations sufficiently representative of seismic wave transmission characteristics of the site. 2.5.1 Basic Geologic and Seismic Information Section 2.5.1 provides the basic geologic and seismic information required for evaluation of the content in other sections of Section 2.5. Section 2.5.1 is subdivided on the basis of information pertaining to the region (Section 2.5.1.1) and information pertaining specifically to the site (Section 2.5.1.2). The topics discussed for both the region and site are similar, consisting of physiography, stratigraphy, geologic structure, geologic history, regional geologic hazards, and site engineering geology. 2.5.1.1 Regional Geology This section provides basic regional geologic information required for evaluation of the content in other sections of Section 2.5. Section 2.5.1.1 is subdivided on the basis of general topics pertaining to the regional geology. Regional physiography and geologic setting are described in Section 2.5.1.1.1. The stratigraphy and structural geology of the site region are discussed in Sections 2.5.1.1.2 and 2.5.1.1.3, respectively. A synopsis of the geologic history of the region is provided in Section 2.5.1.1.4. Natural geologic hazards and hazards that might be induced by man's activities are discussed in Section 2.5.1.1.5. Chapter 02 2.5-1 Rev. 22, October 2016 NMP Unit 2 USAR 2.5.1.1.1 Physiography and Geologic Setting Unit 2 is located on the southeast shore of Lake Ontario, in the town of Scriba, Oswego County, NY. It is situated about 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of the city of Oswego and about 53 km (32.8 mi) northwest of Syracuse, NY (Figure 2.5-1). Physiography The Nine Mile Point site is situated within the Erie-Ontario Lowlands, a subdivision(1) of the Central Lowlands Physiographic Province (Figure 2.5-2) . The Erie-Ontario Lowlands subprovince is bounded on the south by the Appalachian Uplands Province, on the north by the Canadian Shield, and on the east by the Tug Hill Upland and the Adirondack Highlands. To the northeast, the Erie-Ontario Lowlands is separated from the St. Lawrence Lowlands by the Frontenac Axis. The Erie-Ontario Lowlands extend southward from the site about 56 km (35 mi) to the Portage Escarpment which forms the boundary between the lowlands and the Appalachian Uplands Province, and westward into Canada near Niagara Falls. Differential erosion of southerly dipping, relatively more resistant carbonate rock of the Lockport and Onondaga Formations has resulted in east-west trending cuestas within the lowlands. The generally flat to gently undulating topography of the Erie-Ontario Lowlands is superimposed upon an erosional bedrock surface of irregular, low relief. The land surface rises gradually to the south and southeast from an elevation of 75 m (246 ft) above msl at the southern shore of Lake Ontario to an elevation of approximately 152 m (500 ft) above msl at the Allegheny Escarpment. A veneer of glacial deposits such as tills, glaciofluvial sediment, and proglacial lake sediments covers most of the area. The deposits occur as drumlin fields and recessional moraines. Postglacial weathering and stream erosion have modified the terrain only slightly. Geologic Setting The region around the Unit 2 site has been subdivided by geologists into various geologic provinces, that is, large areas that are unified with respect to lithofacies development and gross structural style. The boundaries of geologic provinces typically (although not always) coincide with those of the physiographic provinces identified above. Thus, in the literature, the names are often used interchangeably in descriptions of geologic setting. A regional geologic map (Figure 2.5-3) identifies the geological provinces used in this subsection to characterize the geologic setting. The Unit 2 site is situated within the northern part of the Appalachian Basin geologic province in New York State (Figure Chapter 02 2.5-2 Rev. 22, October 2016 NMP Unit 2 USAR (2,3) 2.5-3) . The bedrock at the site consists of early Paleozoic marine sediment underlain by Precambrian crystalline rock at a depth of approximately 457 m (1,500 ft). The Appalachian Basin is elongate, trending northeast-southwest, and is bounded by the Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield to the north, and the Adirondack Massif to the northeast. The latter two are linked by the Frontenac Axis across the St. Lawrence River Valley. To the west, the Appalachian Basin is bounded by the(2) Findlay Arch and its northward extension, the Algonquin Axis . The Findlay Arch represents a structural rise in the crystalline basement rock, over which the Paleozoic sediment thins substantially. Westward, beyond the Findlay Arch, lies the Michigan Basin, another geologic province. The eastern boundary of the Appalachian(4) Basin geologic province is termed the South Mountain Front because rocks to the southeast of the front are(5) metamorphosed, whereas those of the Appalachian Basin are not . In Canada this boundary is approximately equivalent to Logan's Line (Figure 2.5-3). The Appalachian Basin extends as far south as Alabama (Figure 2.5-2). The Unit 2 site is located in a portion of the Appalachian Basin geologic province that is characterized by few deformation features despite the long history of the site bedrock (Sections 2.5.1.1.4 and 2.5.1.2.6). The regional structural geology is presented in Section 2.5.1.1.3, and the site structural geology is discussed in Sections 2.5.1.2.3 through 2.5.1.2.5. Knowledge of the geologic setting is important to the discussion of regional tectonic provinces, which are presented and discussed in Sections 2.5.2.2 and 2.5.2.3 (Figure 2.5-4). 2.5.1.1.2 Stratigraphy The regional stratigraphic succession in New York and adjacent Canada is illustrated by the map (Figure 2.5-3) and cross sections provided (Figures 2.5-5 and 2.5-6). Figure 2.5-7 further depicts the relationship between stratigraphic units investigated at the site and the regional stratigraphy. Precambrian Basement Crystalline basement rocks of Precambrian age are exposed north and northeast of the Unit 2 site in three areas: 1. The Adirondack Massif 80 km (50 mi) northeast. 2. The Frontenac Axis of the Thousand Islands region 121 km (75 mi) north. 3. The Canadian Shield of Ontario and Quebec Provinces, Canada 145 km (90 mi) north. In general, the Precambrian basement rocks of these three areas are divided into two broad(6-8) geologic provinces and several subprovinces and belts which are illustrated on the regional Chapter 02 2.5-3 Rev. 22, October 2016 NMP Unit 2 USAR geologic map (Figure 2.5-3). In western Ontario, the Superior subprovince of the Canadian Shield is separated from the neighboring Grenville subprovince of central and eastern Ontario and Quebec by the Grenville Front (Figure 2.5-3). The crystalline rocks of the Superior subprovince (metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rock) are of Archean(9) age, that is, more than approximately 2.6 billion years old . Southeast of the Grenville Front, the Grenville subprovince consists of largely high-grade metamorphic rocks, whose ages range from Archean in the northwest to Early and Medial Proterozoic(7,9) (2.6 to 1.1 billion yr ago) near the St. Lawrence valley . The Grenville subprovince consists of both orthogneiss and paragneiss surrounding a central belt of paragneiss. This belt(6) (Figure 2.5-3) is termed the Central Metasedimentary Belt . The terrain of mixed gneisses of Canada and the Adirondacks is understood to represent the pre-Grenville Precambrian "basement" shallow platform upon which the protolithic sediments and volcanics(9) were deposited in Proterozoic time (1.1 to 1.4 billion yr ago) . These particular paragneisses(6,7) are termed the Grenville Series or the Grenville Supergroup . The Late Precambrian sediments underwent progressive, high-grade metamorphism culminating approximately 1.1 billion yr ago, during an event known as the Grenville Orogeny. The sediments were altered to marble, quartzite, quartzofeldspathic gneiss, granulite, leucogranitic gneiss, and amphibolite. The gneisses bordering the Central Metasedimentary Belt in western Ontario consist largely of quartzofeldspathic paragneisses, whereas those in the Adirondack Massif consist(10) of intermediate igneous rocks with granitic rocks and marbles . Local igneous intrusives ranging from felsic to mafic occur throughout the Grenville subprovince.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Woodford Shale Enclosed Min-Basin Fill on the Hunton Paleo Shelf
    UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE WOODFORD SHALE ENCLOSED MINI-BASIN FILL ON THE HUNTON PALEO SHELF. A DEPOSITIONAL MODEL FOR UNCONVENTIONAL RESOURCE SHALES A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By EMILIO J. TORRES-PARADA Norman, Oklahoma 2020 WOODFORD SHALE ENCLOSED MINI-BASIN FILL ON THE HUNTON PALEO SHELF. A DEPOSITIONAL MODEL FOR UNCONVENTIONAL RESOURCE SHALES A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES BY THE COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF Dr. Kurt J. Marfurt, Chair Dr. Roger M. Slatt, Co-chair Dr. Deepak Devegowda Dr. Michael Engel Dr. R. Paul Philp © Copyright by EMILIO TORRES-PARADA 2020. All Rights Reserved. To Heydi, Simón, Antonia, Lorenzo and all my family With them on my side, everything is possible! In memoriam of Jose M. Torres-Mantilla (1954-2012), my beloved Dad In memoriam of Dr. Roger Slatt. It’s been an awesome ride! “at any rate!...” “Con Dios todo y sin el nada” iv Acknowledgments I want to express my highest gratitude to many different people who supported and encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams. I have really enjoyed my years as a sooner. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Roger M. Slatt, who very generously accepted to be my advisor. I am very grateful for his guidance, mentoring, friendship and support throughout many years. He has always believed in me and been a constant support to all my research projects. He has kindly advised and helped my family and myself for coming to OU during the past ten years and also nicely accepted to be leading my faculty committee and supported “Emilio’s ideas.” He is more than a friend and mentor.
    [Show full text]
  • Timan-Pechora Basin Province, Russia, 2008
    Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province, Russia, 2008 40°E 45°E 50°E 55°E 60°E 65°E 70°E Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the 70°N U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated means of 1.6 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas north of the Arctic Circle in the Timan- BARENTS Pechora Basin Province of Russia. SEA KARA SEA Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed PAY-KHOY RIDGE the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province in Russia as part of the USGS Circum-Arctic NORTHWEST Arctic Circle IZHMA Oil and Gas Resource Appraisal program. Geologically, A DEPRESSION the Timan-Pechora Basin Province is a triangular-shaped AU MAIN BASIN PLATFORM AU cratonic block bounded by the northeast-southwest trend- 65°N ing Ural Mountains and the northwest-southeast trending Timan Ridge. The northern boundary is shared with the BASINS AU South Barents Sea Province (fig. 1). The Timan-Pechora A’ Basin Province has a long history of oil and gas exploration S IN TA and production. The first field was discovered in 1930 and, N U O after 75 years of exploration, more than 230 fields have been TIMAN RIDGE M discovered and more than 5,400 wells have been drilled. This L A R has resulted in the discovery of more than 16 billion barrels U of oil and 40 trillion cubic feet of gas. Several studies have presented geological summaries FOREDEEP RUSSIA of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province and the potential for its remaining oil and gas resources (for example, Ulmishek, 1982; Lindquist, 1999; Ulmishek, 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • GEOLOGY of the ROANOKE and STEWARTSVILLE QUADRANGLES, VIRGINIA by Mervin J
    VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES PUBLICATION 34 GEOLOGY OF THE ROANOKE AND STEWARTSVI LLE OUADRANG LES, VI RG I N IA Mervin J. Bartholomew COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Robert C. Milici, Commissioner of Mineral Resources and State Geologist CHARLOTTESVI LLE, VIRGI NIA 1 981 VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES PUBLICATION 34 GEOLOGY OF THE ROANOKE AND STEWARTSVI LLE OUADRANG LES, VI RG I N IA Mervin J. Bartholomew COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Robert C. Milici, Commissioner of Mineral Resources and State Geologist CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 1 981 FRONT COVER: Fold showing slightly fanned, axial plane, slaty cleav- age in a loose block of Liberty Hall mudstone at Reference Locality 20, Deer Creek, Roanoke quadrangle. REFERENCE: Portions of this publication may be quoted if credit is given to the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. It is recommended that referenee to this report be made in the following form: Bartholomew, M. J., 1981, Geology of the Roanoke and Stewaitsville quadrangles, Vir- ginia, Vlrginia Division of Mineral Resources Publicatio4 34,23 p. VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES PUBLICATION 34 GEOLOGY OF THE ROANOKE AND STEWARTSVI LLE OUADRANG LES, VIRG I N IA Mervin J. Bartholomew COM MONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Robert C. Milici, Commissioner of Mineral Resources and State Geologist CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRG INIA 1 981 DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Richmond, Virginia FRED W. WALKER, Director JERALD F. MOORE, Deputy Director BOARD ARTHUR P. FLIPPO, Doswell, Chairman HENRY T.
    [Show full text]
  • GSA TODAY Conference, P
    Vol. 10, No. 2 February 2000 INSIDE • GSA and Subaru, p. 10 • Terrane Accretion Penrose GSA TODAY Conference, p. 11 A Publication of the Geological Society of America • 1999 Presidential Address, p. 24 Continental Growth, Preservation, and Modification in Southern Africa R. W. Carlson, F. R. Boyd, S. B. Shirey, P. E. Janney, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20015, USA, [email protected] T. L. Grove, S. A. Bowring, M. D. Schmitz, J. C. Dann, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA D. R. Bell, J. J. Gurney, S. H. Richardson, M. Tredoux, A. H. Menzies, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa D. G. Pearson, Department of Geological Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK R. J. Hart, Schonland Research Center, University of Witwater- srand, P.O. Box 3, Wits 2050, South Africa A. H. Wilson, Department of Geology, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa D. Moser, Geology and Geophysics Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0111, USA ABSTRACT To understand the origin, modification, and preserva- tion of continents on Earth, a multidisciplinary study is examining the crust and upper mantle of southern Africa. Xenoliths of the mantle brought to the surface by kimber- lites show that the mantle beneath the Archean Kaapvaal Figure 2. Bouguer gravity image (courtesy of South African Council for Geosciences) craton is mostly melt-depleted peridotite with melt extrac- across Vredefort impact structure, South Africa. Color scale is in relative units repre- senting total gravity variation of 90 mgal across area of figure.
    [Show full text]
  • Stratigraphy, Structure, and Tectonics: an East-To-West Transect of the Blue Ridge and Valley and Ridge Provinces of Northern Virginia and West Virginia
    FLD016-05 2nd pgs page 103 The Geological Society of America Field Guide 16 2010 Stratigraphy, structure, and tectonics: An east-to-west transect of the Blue Ridge and Valley and Ridge provinces of northern Virginia and West Virginia Lynn S. Fichter Steven J. Whitmeyer Department of Geology and Environmental Science, James Madison University, 800 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807, USA Christopher M. Bailey Department of Geology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA William Burton U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 22092, USA ABSTRACT This fi eld guide covers a two-day east-to-west transect of the Blue Ridge and Valley and Ridge provinces of northwestern Virginia and eastern West Virginia, in the context of an integrated approach to teaching stratigraphy, structural analysis, and regional tectonics. Holistic, systems-based approaches to these topics incorpo- rate both deductive (stratigraphic, structural, and tectonic theoretical models) and inductive (fi eld observations and data collection) perspectives. Discussions of these pedagogic approaches are integral to this fi eld trip. Day 1 of the fi eld trip focuses on Mesoproterozoic granitoid basement (associated with the Grenville orogeny) and overlying Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian cover rocks (Iapetan rifting) of the greater Blue Ridge province. These units collectively form a basement-cored anticlinorium that was thrust over Paleozoic strata of the Val- ley and Ridge province during Alleghanian contractional tectonics. Day 2 traverses a foreland thrust belt that consists of Cambrian to Ordovician carbonates (Iapetan divergent continental margin), Middle to Upper Ordovician immature clastics (asso- ciated with the Taconic orogeny), Silurian to Lower Devonian quartz arenites and car- bonates (inter-orogenic tectonic calm), and Upper Devonian to Lower Mississippian clastic rocks (associated with the Acadian orogeny).
    [Show full text]
  • NIAGARA ROCKS, BUILDING STONE, HISTORY and WINE
    NIAGARA ROCKS, BUILDING STONE, HISTORY and WINE Gerard V. Middleton, Nick Eyles, Nina Chapple, and Robert Watson American Geophysical Union and Geological Association of Canada Field Trip A3: Guidebook May 23, 2009 Cover: The Battle of Queenston Heights, 13 October, 1812 (Library and Archives Canada, C-000276). The cover engraving made in 1836, is based on a sketch by James Dennis (1796-1855) who was the senior British officer of the small force at Queenston when the Americans first landed. The war of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States offers several examples of the effects of geology and landscape on military strategy in Southern Ontario. In short, Canada’s survival hinged on keeping high ground in the face of invading American forces. The mouth of the Niagara Gorge was of strategic value during the war to both the British and Americans as it was the start of overland portages from the Niagara River southwards around Niagara Falls to Lake Erie. Whoever controlled this part of the Niagara River could dictate events along the entire Niagara Peninsula. With Britain distracted by the war against Napoleon in Europe, the Americans thought they could take Canada by a series of cross-border strikes aimed at Montreal, Kingston and the Niagara River. At Queenston Heights, the Niagara Escarpment is about 100 m high and looks north over the flat floor of glacial Lake Iroquois. To the east it commands a fine view over the Niagara Gorge and river. Queenston is a small community perched just below the crest of the escarpment on a small bench created by the outcrop of the Whirlpool Sandstone.
    [Show full text]
  • West Africa Geology and Total Petroleum Systems
    Geology and Total Petroleum Systems of the West-Central Coastal Province (7203), West Africa 0° 5°E 10°E 15°E 20°E NIGER CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC DELTA CAMEROON 5°N DOUALA BANGUI GULF OF DOUALA, KRIBI- MALABO YAOUNDE GUINEA CAMPO BASINS RIO MUNI BASIN EQ. GUINEA CABO SAN JUAN ARCH ANNOBON-CAMEROON LIBREVILLE 0° VOLCANIC AXIS GABON N'KOMI FRACTURE DEMOCRATIC ZONE REPUBLIC OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO CONGO GABON BASIN CASAMARIA BRAZZAVILLE HIGH 5°S CONGO ANGOLA (CABINDA) KINSHASA ATLANTIC BASIN OCEAN AMBRIZ ARCH LUANDA 10°S ANGOLA KWANZA (CUANZA) BASIN BENGUELA HIGH BENGUELA BENGUELA BASIN 15°S NAMIBE BASIN 0 250 500 KILOMETERS NAMIBIA LVIS RIDGE WA U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2207-B U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Geology and Total Petroleum Systems of the West-Central Coastal Province (7203), West Africa By Michael E. Brownfield and Ronald R. Charpentier U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2207-B U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior P. Lynn Scarlett, Acting Secretary U.S. Geological Survey P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2006 Posted online June 2006 Version 1.0 This publication is only available online at http://www.usgs.gov/bul/2207/B/ For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Phase I Hydrogeologic Modelling
    Supporting Technical Report Phase I Hydrogeologic Modelling November 30, 2008 Prepared by: J.F. Sykes, E.A. Sykes, S.D. Normani, Y. Yin and Y.-J. Park University of Waterloo OPG 00216-REP-01300-00009-R00 OPG’s DEEP GEOLOGIC REPOSITORY FOR LOW & INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WASTE Supporting Technical Report Phase I Hydrogeologic Modelling November 30, 2008 Prepared by: J.F. Sykes, E.A. Sykes, S.D. Normani, Y. Yin and Y.-J. Park University of Waterloo OPG 00216-REP-01300-00009-R00 Phase I Hydrogeologic Modelling - iii - November 30, 2008 DOCUMENT HISTORY /trunk/doc/report.tex 2008-11-27 11:56 SVN:R114 Phase I Hydrogeologic Modelling - v - November 30, 2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for Low and Intermediate Level (L&IL) Radioactive Waste has been proposed by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for the Bruce site near Tiverton, Ontario Canada. This report presents hydrogeologic modelling and analyses at the regional-scale and site-scale that were completed as part of the Phase 1 Geosynthesis DGR work program. As envisioned, the DGR is to be constructed at a depth of about 680 m below ground surface within the argillaceous Ordovician limestone of the Cobourg Formation. The objective of this report is to develop a geologic conceptual model for the DGR site and to describe modelling using FRAC3DVS-OPG and analyses that illustrate the influence of conceptual model, parameter and scenario uncertainty on predicted long-term geosphere barrier performance. The modelling also provides a framework for hydrogeologic and geochemical investigations of the DGR. It serves as a basis for exploring potential anthropogenic and natural perturbations of the sedimentary sequence beneath and in the vicinity of the Bruce site.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydrogeologic Modelling
    Hydrogeologic Modelling March 2011 Prepared by: J.F. Sykes, S.D. Normani, and Y. Yin NWMO DGR-TR-2011-16 Hydrogeologic Modelling March 2011 Prepared by: J.F. Sykes, S.D. Normani, and Y. Yin NWMO DGR-TR-2011-16 Hydrogeologic Modelling - ii - March 2011 THIS PAGE HAS BEEN LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Hydrogeologic Modelling - iii - March 2011 Document History Title: Hydrogeologic Modelling Report Number: NWMO DGR-TR-2011-16 Revision: R000 Date: March 2011 AECOM Canada Ltd. Prepared by: J.F. Sykes (University of Waterloo), S.D. Normani (University of Waterloo), Y. Yin (University of Waterloo) Reviewed by: R.E.J. Leech Approved by: R.E.J. Leech Nuclear Waste Management Organization Reviewed by: M. Jensen Accepted by: M. Jensen Hydrogeologic Modelling - iv - March 2011 THIS PAGE HAS BEEN LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Hydrogeologic Modelling - v - March 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for Low and Intermediate Level Waste (L&ILW) has been proposed by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for the Bruce nuclear site in the Municipality of Kincardine, Ontario, Canada. This report presents hydrogeologic modelling and analyses that were completed as part of the Geosynthesis DGR work program. As envisioned, the proposed DGR would be constructed at a depth of about 680 m below ground surface within the argillaceous Ordovician limestone of the Cobourg Formation. The objectives of this report are to develop the regional-scale hydrogeological conceptual model for the DGR site, to undertake numerical modelling using the computational models FRAC3DVS-OPG and TOUGH2-MP and to support the safety case for the DGR. A primary focus of the numerical modelling study is the investigation of a DGR program hypothesis that solute transport in the Ordovician sediments is diffusion dominant.
    [Show full text]
  • Imaging Crust and Upper Mantle Beneath Southern Africa: the Southern Africa Broadband Seismic Experiment
    Imaging crust and upper mantle beneath southern Africa: The southern Africa broadband seismic experiment DAVID E. JAMES, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C., U.S. The view from the rim of the Big Hole in Kimberley, South Africa, can only be described as spectacular (Figure 1). Both the size of that legendary kimberlite pipe and the prodigious amount of backbreaking labor that went into removing some 27 million tons of dirt to extract 14.5 million carats (2722 kilos) of diamonds are powerful testaments to the timeless allure of diamonds. The Big Hole, the largest hand-dug excavation in the world (820 m deep and 1.6 km across), lies at an improbable elevation above 1100 m (3500 ft) in the heart of the great Archean Kaapvaal craton of South Africa. The Kaapvaal, perforated with thousands of kimberlite pipes similar to that from which the Big Hole was dug, has a rich and colorful history of exhaustive and painstaking geologic study and exploration that the presence of exotic mantle sam- ples and large quantities of gem quality diamonds inspires. In this classic Archean craton we launched the largest seis- mic investigation ever to probe the deep crust and upper Figure 1. The Big Hole in Kimberley, South Africa. Abandoned since mantle beneath the ancient continental nucleus (Figure 2). 1914 and now mostly filled with water, the Big Hole is the world's most famous diamond-mining locality and the source of much of Cecil Rhodes' The formation and long-term stability of the cratonic fortune. Today diamond mining in Kimberley is confined largely to rela- cores of continents remain among the more formidable puz- tively small-scale underground and secondary recovery operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Geoscientific Review of the Sedimentary Sequence in Southern Ontario
    July 2004 NWMO BACKGROUND PAPERS 6. TECHNICAL METHODS 6-12 LONG-TERM USED NUCLEAR FUEL WASTE MANAGEMENT - GEOSCIENTIFIC REVIEW OF THE SEDIMENTARY SEQUENCE IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO Martin Mazurek Rock-Water Interaction, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland NWMO Background Papers NWMO has commissioned a series of background papers which present concepts and contextual information about the state of our knowledge on important topics related to the management of radioactive waste. The intent of these background papers is to provide input to defining possible approaches for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel and to contribute to an informed dialogue with the public and other stakeholders. The papers currently available are posted on NWMO’s web site. Additional papers may be commissioned. The topics of the background papers can be classified under the following broad headings: 1. Guiding Concepts – describe key concepts which can help guide an informed dialogue with the public and other stakeholders on the topic of radioactive waste management. They include perspectives on risk, security, the precautionary approach, adaptive management, traditional knowledge and sustainable development. 2. Social and Ethical Dimensions - provide perspectives on the social and ethical dimensions of radioactive waste management. They include background papers prepared for roundtable discussions. 3. Health and Safety – provide information on the status of relevant research, technologies, standards and procedures to reduce radiation and security risk associated with radioactive waste management. 4. Science and Environment – provide information on the current status of relevant research on ecosystem processes and environmental management issues. They include descriptions of the current efforts, as well as the status of research into our understanding of the biosphere and geosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • A Billion Years of Deformation in the Central Appalachians: Orogenic Processes and Products
    Downloaded from fieldguides.gsapubs.org on October 15, 2015 The Geological Society of America Field Guide 40 2015 A billion years of deformation in the central Appalachians: Orogenic processes and products Steven J. Whitmeyer Department of Geology and Environmental Science, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807, USA Christopher M. Bailey Department of Geology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187, USA David B. Spears Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, Division of Geology and Mineral Resources, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, USA ABSTRACT The central Appalachians form a classic orogen whose structural architecture developed during episodes of contractional, extensional, and transpressional defor- mation from the Proterozoic to the Mesozoic. These episodes include components of the Grenville orogenic cycle, the eastern breakup of Rodinia, Appalachian orogenic cycles, the breakup of Pangea, and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean basin. This fi eld trip examines an array of rocks deformed via both ductile and brittle processes from the deep crust to the near-surface environment, and from the Mesoproterozoic to the present day. The trip commences in suspect terranes of the eastern Piedmont in central Vir- ginia, and traverses northwestward across the Appalachian orogen through the thick- skinned Blue Ridge basement terrane, and into the thin-skinned fold-and-thrust belt of the Valley and Ridge geologic province. The traverse covers a range of deformation styles that developed over a vast span of geologic time: from high-grade metamorphic rocks deformed deep within the orogenic hinterland, to sedimentary rocks of the fore- land that were folded, faulted, and cleaved in the late Paleozoic, to brittle extensional structures that overprint many of these rocks.
    [Show full text]