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U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010–1307

Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office, under Interagency Agreement Department of Energy Agreement DOE DE-AI52-07NA28100

A Refined Characterization of the Alluvial Geology of Yucca Flat and Its Effect on Bulk Hydraulic Conductivity

By G.A. Phelps, A. Boucher, and K.J. Halford

ABSTRACT

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In Yucca Flat, on the Nevada National Security Site in southern Nevada, the migration of radionuclides from tests located in the alluvial deposits into the Paleozoic carbonate aquifer involves passage through a thick, heterogeneous section of late Tertiary and Quaternary alluvial sediments. An understanding of the lateral and vertical changes in the material properties of the alluvial sediments will aid in the further development of the hydrogeologic framework and the delineation of hydrostratigraphic units and hydraulic properties required for simulating groundwater flow in the Yucca Flat area. Previously published geologic models for the alluvial sediments within Yucca Flat are based on extensive examination and categorization of drill-hole data, combined with a simple, data-driven interpolation scheme. The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Stanford University, is researching improvements to the modeling of the alluvial section, incorporating prior knowledge of geologic structure into the interpolation method and estimating the uncertainty of the modeled hydrogeologic units.

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Contact Information
Western Region Geology and Geophysics Science Center—Menlo Park
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Road, MS-973
Menlo Park, CA 94025-3591
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/

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Suggested citation:

Phelps, G.A., Boucher, A., and Halford, K.J., 2011, A refined characterization of the alluvial geology of yucca flat and its effect on bulk hydraulic conductivity, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1307, 33 p.



Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results and Discussion

Summary of Results

Acknowledgments

References

Figures


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