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Geological Characterization Report Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (Wipp) Site, Southeastern New Mexico

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GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION REPORT WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT (WIPP) SITE, SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO SAND78-1596 VOLUME II Dennis W. Powers, Steven J. Lambert, Sue-Ellen Shaffer, Leslie R. Hill, Wendell D. Weart, Editors Department 4510 Waste Management Technology Sandia Laboratories Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 AUGUST, 1978 PRINTED DECEMBER, 1978 WSTRIBimOM (J* JiiUS ]>UCUM£N'1' lg UNLIMITEftD GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME II PAGE 6.0 HYDROLOGY 6- 1 6.1 INTRODUCTION 6- 1 6.2 SURFACE HYDROLOGY 6- 2 6.2.1 Surface Water Features 6- 2 6.2.2 Precipitation Patterns 6- 4 6.2.3 Drainage 6- 5 6.2.4 Floods 6- 5 6.2.5 Evaporation and Transpiration 6- 6 6.2.6 Infiltration 6- 7 6.2.7 Surface Water Quality 6- 7 6.3 GROUND MATER HYDROLOGY 6- 8 6.3.1 Regional Ground Water Conditions 6- 8 6.3.2 Hydrology of Rocks Underlying the Salado Formation 6- 10 Deep Hydrologic Units 6- 11 Ellenburger Group 6- 11 Devonian Zone 6- 12 Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Zone 6-12 Bone Springs Formation 6- 13 Guadalupian Age Rocks Hydrologic System. 6- 13 Castile Formation 6- 19 Salado Formation 6- 20 6.3.3 Hydrology of Rocks Overlying the Salado Formation 6- 21 Rustler Formation 6- 22 The Dewey Lake Red Beds 6- 23 Dockum Group 6- 23 Ogallala Formation 6- 24 Quaternary Deposits 6- 25 -2- PAGE 6.3.4 Regional Ground Water Use 6- 26 Oil Field Secondary Recovery 6- 27 Ground Water Utilization East of the Pecos River, Southeast New Mexico 6- 28 6.3.5 Ground Water Occurrence at the Proposed Site ... 6- 28 Fluid-Bearing Zones 6- 29 Hydroloqic Testing 6- 30 Bell Canyon Formation 6- 34 Rustler-Salado Contact 6- 35 Culebra Dolomite 6- 35 Magenta Dolomite 6- 36 Salt-Residue Zone 6- 36 6.3.6 Dissolution of Salt In the Permian Evaporites .. 6- 37 Shallow Dissolution 6- 38 Deep Dissolution 6- 40 Rates of Dissolution 6- 42 6.4 HYDROLOGY DRILLING AND TESTING SUMMARY 6-46 6.4.1 Hole No. B-l 6- 46 6.4.2 Hole No. H-2a 6-48 6.4.3 Hole No. H-2b 6-49 6.4.4 Hole No. H-2c 6- 50 6.4.5 Hole No. H-3 6- 51 6.4.6 Hole No. P-14 6-53 6.4.7 Hole No. P-15 6-54 6.4.8 Hole No. P-17 6-56 6.4.9 Hole No. P-18 6- 57 6.4.10 Hole No. AEC-6 6- 58 6.5 SUMMARY 6- 60 6.6 REFERENCES 6- 62 -3- PAGE 7.0 GEOCHEMISTRY 7- 1 7.1 INTRODUCTION 7- 1 7.2 THE MINERALOGY OF DELAWARE BASIN EVAPORITES AND RELATED ROCKS OF THE LOS MEDANOS AREA 7- 2 7.2.1 Introduction 7- 2 7.2.2 Previous Work 7- 3 7.2.3 Overview of Evaporite Mineralogy 7- 3 7.2.4 Mineralogy of Fluid-Bearing Zones in the Rustler Formation and Delaware Mountain Group .. 7-4 Magenta Member, Rustler Formation (AEC No. 8) 7- 4 Cuiebra Member, Rustler Formation (AEC No. B) 7- 4 Bell Canyon Sandstone (AEC No. 8) 7- 4 Cherry Canyon Sandstone (Pine Springs Outcrop) 7- 4 7.3 DETAILED CHEMISTRY AND MINERALOGY OF SOLUBLE AND INSOLUBLE COMPONENTS OF THE SALADO FORMATION 7- 5 7.3.1 Introduction 7- 5 7.3.2 Material and Methods 7- 6 Sample Preparation and Handling 7- 6 Analysis of Soluble Portion 7- 6 Analysis of Insoluble Portion 7- 6 Thermal Analysis 7- 7 Results of Analyses 7- 7 7.3.3 Results and Discussion 7- 8 Distribution of Mineral Phases 7- 8 Effects of Heating Samples 7- 12 7.3.4 Conclusion 7-14 7.4 DETAILED PETROLOGY AND SILICATE MINERALOGY OF SOME PERMIAN BASIN SOCKS 7- 15 7.4.1 Introduction 7-15 7.4.2 Procedure 7-15 7.4.3 Silicate Mineralogy and Geochemistry 7- 16 Sa«ple Preparation and Analysis 7- 17 Silicate Mineralogy 7- 18 Distribution of Clay Materials 7- 21 -4- PAGE 7.4.4 Mineralogy of Duval Mine Samples 7- 21 7.4.5 Chemical Composition 7- 22 7.4.6 Petrography 7-23 Macroscopic Petrography 7- 23 Microscopic Petrography 7- 25 7.4.7 Interpretations and Tentative Conclusions 7- 27 7.5 VOLATILES AND FLUID INCLUSIONS IN MINERALS OF THE SALADO FORMATION 7- 31 7.5.1 Introduction 7-31 7.5.2 Overview of Volatile Contents of Evaporltes 7-32 7.5.3 Mineral Sources of Water in the Salado Evaporite Sequence 7- 35 Introduction 7- 35 Sampling and Sample Preparation 7- 36 Analytical Methods Used in This study 7-37 Weight Losses for Cores, AEC No. 7 and 8 7-38 Mineralogy and Petrology of Cores No. 7 and 8 7- 40 Summary and Conclusions 7- 45 7.6 FLUID INCLUSIONS IN CORE SAMPLES FROM ERDA NO. 9 7-47 7.6.1 Introduction 7- 47 7.6.2 Samples Studied 7-48 7.6.3 Sample Preparation 7-49 Sections 7- 49 Coarse water-soluble residues 7- 50 7.6.4 Methods of Study 7- 50 Petrographic Examination 7- 50 Heating Stage 7- 51 Freezing stage 7- 51 Crushing stage 7- 52 Coarse water-soluble residues 7- 52 Decrepitation 7- 52 7.6.5 Results of Petrographic Examination 7- 53 Inclusion type A 7- 53 Inclusion type B 7- 54 Inclusion type C 7- 55 Inclusion type D 7- 55 -5- PAGE 7.6.6 Weight Percent of Fluid 7-55 7.6.7 Results of Heating Stage Studies 7- 56 7.6.8 Results of Freezing Stage Studies 7- 57 7.6.9 Results of Crushing Stage Studies 7- 57 7.6.10 Results of Study of coarse Water-Insoluble Residues 7- 58 7.6.11 Decrepitation Tests 7- 58 7.6.12 Study of Suite of Samples from Kerr-McGee 7- 59 7.6.13 Discussion 7- 61 Geological Significance 7- 61 Nuclear Waste Disposal Significance 7-63 1.1 THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF DELAWARE BASIN GROUNDWATERS IN RELATION TO THEIR HOST ROCKS 7-70 7.7.1 Introduction 7-70 7.7.2 Data 7-72 Solutes 7- 72 Thermodynamics 7- 75 Stable Isotopes 7- 76 7.7.3 Summary 7-79 7.8 RUBIDIUM- STRONTIUM SYSTEMATICS OF THE SALADO FORMATION, SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO 7- 79 7.8.1 Introduction 7-79 7.8.2 Previous Work 7-81 7.8.3 Analytical Procedure 7-82 Sample Preparation 7-82 Rb- Sr Isotoplc Analysis 7- 84 7.8.4 Results 7-85 7.8.5 Discussion 7-87 7.8.6 Concluding Statements 7-88 7.9 URANIUM ISOTOPE DISEQUILIBRIUM IN GROUNDWATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO AND IMPLICATIONS REGARDING AGE-DATING OF WATERS 7- 89 7.9.1 Introduction 7-89 History 7- 89 Implications 7- 90 -6- PftGE 7.9.2 Analytical Approach 7-91 General Geochemistry of Groundwaters 7-91 Experimental Procedures 7-91 7.9.J Results and Discussion 7-93 7.9.4 Application oC the Uranium Isotope Disequilibrium Model 7- 93 7.9.5 Model Ages Based on Mo Leaching 7-97 7.9.6 Implications and Conclusions 7- 99 7.10 SUMMARY 7-101 7.11 REFERENCES 7-103 7.12 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7-109 8.0 RESOURCES 8- 1 8.1 INTRODUCTION 8- 1 8.2 ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN RESOURCE EVALUATION AND THEIR REPORTS 8- 1 8.3 POTENTIAL RESOURCES IN RELATIONSHIP TO STRATIGRAPHY AT THE WIPP SITE 8- 2 8.4 RESOURCE DESCRIPTION BY SPECIFIC COMMODITIES 8- 2 8.4.1 Caliche 8- 2 8.4.2 Uranium 8- 3 8.4.3 Gypsum 8- 3 8.4.4 Halite (Salt) 8- 4 8.4.5 Sulfur 8- 4 8.4.6 Lithium 8- 5 8.4.7 Potash 8- 5 Method of Evaluation 8- 5 Description of the Potash Exploration Drilling Phase 8- 6 Calculation of Potash Resource Distribution Volume and Grade 8- 7 Results of the OSGS Resource Estimate 8- 9 Results of the USBM Valuation of Potash Resources 8- 10 Summary of Conclusions Concerning Potash Resources In the WIPP Site 6- 11 -7- PAGE 8.4.8 Hydrocarbons 8-12 Method of Evaluation 8- 12 Total Hydrocarbon Resources at the WIPP Site 8- 14 Estimate of the Economically Recoverable Hydrocarbon Resources 8- 16 Summary of Conclusions Concerning Hydrocarbon Resources 8- 19 8.4.9 Metalliferous Deposits in the Precambrian 8-19 8.5 SUMMARY 8-20 8.6 REFERENCES 8- 22 9.0 SPECIAL STUDIES OF WIPP REPOSITORY ROCKS 9.1 INTPADUCTION 9- 1 9.2 THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES 9- 2 9.2.1 Introduction 9- 2 9.2.2 Petrography 9- 3 Fabric 9- 4 Fracture 9- 5 9.2.3 Physical Properties 9- 6 Density and Resistivity 9- 6 Volatile Mass Loss 9- 6 Permeability 9- 7 Thermal Conductivity 9- 7 Sonic Pulse Velocity 9- 8 Summary of Data 9- 8 9.2.4 Thermomechanical Properties 9- 8 Introduction 9- 8 Apparatus, Experiments, Capabilities and Data Handling Material and Test Specimens ... 9-10 Quasistatic Rock Salt Properties 9- 11 Quasistatic Unconfined Properties 9-12 Quasistatic Tr.'.axial Properties 9- 12 Quasistatic Stress-Strain Relationships. 9- 14 Deviatoric Loading at Constant Confining Pressure 9- 14 PAGE Nonelastic Behavior and Pressure Effects at Ambient Temperature 9- 15 Elevated Temperature Data 9- 15 Influence o? Load Path 9- 15 Interpretation of Quasistatic Data 9-18 Creep of Rock Salt 9- 18 Creep Strain Limits of Rock Salt at Failure 9- 19 Applicability of Laboratory Measurements .... 9-20 9.2.5 Summary and Conclusions 9- 20 9.3 RADIONUCLIDE SORPTION ON WIPP ROCKS 9- 21 9.3.1 Introduction 9-21 9.3.2 Geological Media 9- 23 Sample Selection 9- 23 Sample Preparation 9- 24 9.3.3 Brine and Groundwater Simulants 9- 24 9.3.4 Solution Chemistry 9-24 Solutes 9- 24 Oxidation Potential 9- 25 Hydrogen Ion Activity 9- 25 Radionuclide Concentration 9- 26 9.3.5 Experimental Procedures 9-26 Apparatus, Sample Size and Sampling 9- 26 Analyses 9- 27 Equilibration Time 9- 27 9.3.6 Kd Data 9-28 9.3.7 Diacusslon of Kd Data 9- 28 Cesium 9- 28 Strontium 9- 29 Europium, Gadallnlum and Cerium 9- 29 Technetium and Iodine 9- 30 Ruthenium and Antimony 9- 30 Actlnides 9- 31 9.3.8 Parametric Effects 9-31 -9- PAGE pH and Nuclide Concentration Effects on Kd .
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  • Geologic Notes on the Delaware Basin

    Geologic Notes on the Delaware Basin

    Circular 63 • Geologic Notes on the Delaware Basin by leon Haigler United State s G e ological Surve y NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY E. J. Workman, President STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES A. J. Thompson, Director CIRCULAR 63 GEOLOGIC NOTES ON THE DELAWARE BASIN by Leon Haigler United States Geological Survey Published in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey 1962 STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS STATION SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY E. J. Workman, President STATE BUREAU OF MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES Alvin J. Thompson, Director THE REGENTS MEMBERS EX OFFICIO The Honorable Edwin L. Mechem Governor of New Mexico Tom Wiley Superintendent of Public Instruction APPOINTED MEMBERS William G. Abbott Hobbs Holm 0. Bursum, Jr. Socorro Thomas M. Cramer Carls bad Frank C. DiLuzio . Albuquerque Eva M. Larrazolo (Mrs. Paul F.) Albuquerque For sale by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Campus Station, Socorro, New Mexico Price $1.00 Contents ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION .2 STRUCTURAL FEATURES .3 Stratigraphy 4 Ordovician System .4 Simpson. Group equivalent .4 Montoya Dolomite .5 Silurian(?) and Devonian(?) systems .5 Devonian and Mississippian systems .6 Woodford Shale equivalent .6 Mississippian System 7 Pennsylvanian System .7 Permian System .8 Hueco Limestone 8 Bone Spring Limestone .9 Delaware Mountain Group .9 Permian back-reef or shelf formations . 10 Permian reefs . 10 Salado and Castile formations, undifferentiated . 11 Rustler Formation . 11 Post-Rustler Formation . 11 OIL AND GAS . 12 111 REFERENCES. .13 PLATE 1. East-west cross section through the Delaware basin of New Mexico in pocket iv Abstract The Delaware basin of New Mexico lies in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico, and contains about the northern one fourth of the total area of the Delaware basin.