Hazardous Waste Site Characterization and Underground Repository Design

This study involves a regional-scale geological characterization for a proposed underground high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Investigation of the site by the US Department of Energy, US Geological Survey and various contractors has been in progress for more than a decade, resulting in large volumes of information from a variety of investigative sources. Since this is the first time that geoscience modeling technology is to be applied to a regional characterization of this scale and level of detail, there is a requirement to evaluate the technology with respect to project requirements. Our study is performed solely for the purpose of demonstrating the suitability of the integrated computerized approach for this task. It covers only part of the repository site and is based on a limited selection of the available public-domain information and published documentation.