Hydrostratigraphy of Cenozoic Sedimentary Basins, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Information on structural and stratigraphic controls on groundwater flow in the Cenozoic sedimentary basins south and southeast of Yucca Mountain is needed for groundwater models used in performance assessment calculations of the proposed nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain. This project consists of two parts: (1) surface and subsurface characterization of Pleistocene and Holocene alluvium deposits; and (2) surface and subsurface characterization of Oligocene-Miocene sedimentary deposits. The results of this study will be used to develop a conceptual model of the hydrostratigraphy of Cenozoic sedimentary basins that border Yucca Mountain. This stratigraphic model will then be used to better constrain the models and uncertainty associated with groundwater flow in critical areas. In this project, we are collaborating with John Stamatakos and Ted Resseler at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses of the Southwest Research Institute.

Ted Resseler collecting density data from outcrops of Fortymile Wash.