|
Detailed Reference Information |
Coleman, N.M., Abramson, L.R. and Marsh, B.D. (2004). Testing claims about volcanic disruption of a potential geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Geophysical Research Letters 31: doi: 10.1029/2004GL021032. issn: 0094-8276. |
|
Yucca Mountain is a potential repository site for high-level radioactive waste. We examine claims that the frequency of future basaltic dike intersection could be 1 ¿ 10-6/yr or higher (i.e., on average, one penetration every million yrs). These claims fail simple tests at four time scales. Spatial-temporal models that predict intrusion frequencies >2 ¿ 10-7/yr are overly pessimistic because no dikes have been found in the 13 Myr-old potential repository footprint. More realistic models are developed by considering this non-detection of dikes and by applying probabilistic hazard assessments based on known patterns of Pleistocene volcanism. Using a hazard assessment code, we estimate the frequency of dike intersection at 5.4 ¿ 10-8/yr with an upper 95% confidence bound of 9.8 ¿ 10-8/yr. |
|
|
|
BACKGROUND DATA FILES |
|
|
Abstract |
|
|
|
|
|
Keywords
Policy Sciences, Decision making under uncertainty, Policy Sciences, Project evaluation, Public Issues, Science policy, Volcanology, General or miscellaneous, Information Related to Geologic Time, Cenozoic |
|
Publisher
American Geophysical Union 2000 Florida Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009-1277 USA 1-202-462-6900 1-202-328-0566 service@agu.org |
|
|
|