Summary of Rock Salt Deposits in the United States as Possible Storage Sites for Radioactive Waste Materials GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1148 Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission QE1S n Summary of Rock Salt Deposits in the United States as Possible Storage Sites for Radioactive Waste Materials £y W. G. PIERCE and E. I. RICH Prepared on behalf of the U.S. .Atomic Energy Commission UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has cataloged this publication as follows: Pierce, William Gamewell, 1904- Summary of rock salt deposits in the United States as possible storage sites for radioactive waste materials, by W. G. Pierce and E. I. Rich. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1962. v, 91 p. maps (part fold., 1 col. in pocket) diagrs., tables. 23 cm. (U.S. Geological Survey. Bulletin 1148) Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Bibliography: p. 78-87. 1. Salt U.S. 2. Radioactive waste disposal. I. Rich, Ernest Isaac, 1922-joint author. II. Title. (Series) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract__ _ _.._.__._____---_---_-___---------------------__---- 1 Introduction- _________-_____----__----------_---------_------__--- 4 Northeastern States _______--_-__--___------_--_-----_---_-_._--- 5 Silurian salt deposits____________-_____--------_--_-----.-_--_- 5 Stratigraphy. __________-________--------_-_-----______---_ 7 New York___________.-. ._ ___ 8 Michigan. _______--_____-__--_---_---__--_-___________ 8 Ohio.....-._.-...--__..-_--------..------.-----._.--. 12 Pennsylvania ______________-__--_____-_-_-_..-_________ 12 West Virginia___--__--_____-------__--_--__--_______-_ 12 Structure. _______ _________-__---_---------_-_____--__ 13 Thickness and distribution of salt beds.______________________ 15 Devonian salt deposits.. _____----_--_-__------_________ 16 Mississippian salt deposits_-__________-_----_____-___________-__ 16 Gulf Coast Embayment-_____----_---__-__---___-------__--_____-__ 16 Louann salt of southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana._________ 17 General features of salt domes ________ 20 Size and shape..________________________________________ 20 Surface expression___-______________-_-______--_________.__ 21 .Caprock______ ___--__---_____--------____--_---_____-__ 21 Movement of the salt____________-----_----___-__--_____--_ 22 Composition __ ___--_-________-_---_--___---_---_____--_ 23 Interior salt domes _________________________________________ 24 Coastal salt domes___________________________________________ 24 Permian basin___________--___-_________--_-___.__--________-_-_ 28 Distribution, thickness, and stratigraphy of the salt-bearing forma­ tions.. ________________ _________________________________ 30 West Texas-southeast New Mexico area._____________________ 30 Castile formation____________________________________ 30 Salado formation---_-_-__-__-___--________---________- 33 Rustler formation _____________________________________ 35 Thickness, depth, and structural configuration of salt______ 35 Salt basin west of Guadalupe Mountains.________________ 37 Texas Panhandle area_____________________________ 37 Oklahoma Panhandle and southwestern Kansas area___________ 38 Paradox basin, southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado___________ 41 Hermosa formation._________________________________________ 41 Paradox member._________________________________________ 41 Structure. __________________________________________________ 42 Distribution and thickness of salt______________________________ 43 Depth to top of salt beds_-_______'______-_-________-____________ 44 Igneous intrusive rocks_______________________________________ 47 Supai basin, Arizona and New Mexico.______________________________ 47 Southern Florida._________________________________________________ 49 m IV CONTENTS Page Williston basin, North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota___ _ ___ 51 Salt of Middle Devonian age__________________________________ 51 Salt of Mississippian age______________________________________ 56 Salt of Permian age___________________________________________ 58 Salt of Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic age______________________ 59 Other deposits.___________________________________________________ 62 Sevier River valley, Utah_____________________________________ 62 Virgin River area, Nevada and northwestern Arizona ______________ 65 Southwestern Wyoming and adjoining area..____________________ 65 Northwestern Nebraska and adjoining part of Wyoming__________ 66 Playa deposits ________________________________________________ 67 .Features of the principal salt deposits pertaining to storage of radioactive liquids __________________________________________________________ 69 Northeastern States_________________________________________ 70 Gulf Coast salt domes__________________>_____________________ 70 Permian basin_________________________^_____________________ 70 Paradox basin_____________________________________________ 71 Williston basin._______________________________________________ 71 Salt mines.______-__--__----_-_--__-__-------_-_--_---_-_---__-___ 71 New York______________________________________ 72 Ohio_-__------_--_--------------_---------~-------_----_-_- 73 Michigan. ____________________________________________________ 73 Kansas _ __________--___-____--_--____--_-_.-__-_-___-_-______ 73 Louisiana. ___________--__-_-___-___---_--___------_-_----_--__ 73 Texas_________.______-__ _ __ 74 Utah______---___------------------------------------_-------- 74 Plastic flowage of salt in mines._________________________________ 75 Salt reserves and production._______--__-_--_-_____-_--_--_----__-__ 75 Development of cavities for underground storage______________________ 76 Selected references,________________________________________________ 78 Index__.__ -_-_ - -- --- 89 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Index map of rock salt deposits in the United States. 2. Map showing aggregate thickness of salt beds in Salina forma­ tion or group. 3. Map showing depth to salt in Salina formation or group. 4. Map of the Gulf Coast Embayment, showing location of salt domes and Louann salt. 5. Map showing thickness of salt. in Permian basin of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. 6. Map of Paradox basin area showing thickness of salt-bearing rocks of Paradox member. CONTENTS V Page FIGURE 1. Index map showing extent of Salina formation or group..__. 6 2. Generalized column of Salina and Bass Island formations, Michigan basin____________________________________ 10 3. Sketch map of regional structural features in Silurian salt deposits.____________________________________________ 13 4. Map showing thickness of Louann salt in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.______________________________ 18 5. Structure section showing relation of Louann salt to overlying beds...__-._________-_______________ 19 6. Cross sections of salt domes___________________________ 20 7. Sketch map showing depth to top of some interior and coastal salt domes________________________________________ 25 8. Map of Gulf Coast Embayment, showing area underlain by salt_____________________________ 26 9. Chart of formations in Permian basin.____________________ 29 10. Map of structural and physiographic features of Permian age. 31 11. Map showing thickness of salt in Castile formation. _____ 32 12. Stratigraphic diagram of Ochoa series______.______________ 34 13. Map showing thickness of salt in Salado formation.________ 36 14. Stratigraphic diagram of Wellington formation..___________ 39 15. Structure contour map showing depth to salt in Kansas and Oklahoma.____-___--___---__--__--____-__---___-____ 40 16. Cross section showing occurrence of salt in Supai formation, eastern Arizona and western New Mexico ______ _ ______ 48 17. Map of area in southern Florida probably underlain by salt., 50 18. Columnar section of salt-bearing beds in Williston basin. _____ 52 19. Map showing thickness of Prairie salt in Williston basin.___ 54 20. Structure contour map showing depth below sea level of Prairie salt in Williston basin._________________________ 55 21. Map showing aggregate thickness of salt beds of Mississippian age in Williston basin_________________________________ 56 22. Structure contour map showing depth below sea level of high­ est salt bed of Mississippian age in Williston basin________ 57 23. Map showing thickness of salt bed of Permian age in Williston basin_____________-------___------__-__-----_--___-- 58 24. Map showing thickness of Pine salt in Williston basin._____ 60 25. Structure contour map showing depth below sea level of Pine salt in Williston basin...______________________________ 61 26. Map showing thickness of Dunham salt in Williston basin____ 62 27. Structure contour map showing depth below sea level of Dunham salt in Williston basin._______________________ 63 28. Map of Western States showing area of greatest concentration of playas ___________________________________________ 68 TABLES TABLE 1. Correlation chart of Upper Silurian in the Silurian salt basin. _ 9 2. List of selected wells in the Paradox basin.________________ 45 3. List of wells in southern Florida that penetrate rock salt____ 50 SUMMARY OF ROCK SALT DEPOSITS IN THE UNITED STATES AS POSSIBLE STORAGE SITES FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE MATERIALS By W. G. PIERCE and E. I. RICH ABSTRACT This summary report on the rock