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Geology of the Tamusu clay site for high level waste

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Abstract

Tamusu area in Inner Mongolia is a candidate site for the first clay rock repository in China. Comprehensive analyses conducted on stratigraphic characteristics, mineralogy, structural geology, and three-dimensional geological modeling in the Tamusu area showed that: the thickness of clay rock is more than 200 m with burial depth ranging from 200 to 800 m, which is mainly composed of zeolite, dolomite, and illite. Fractures are not well developed and the tectonic environment is stable. Additionally, the terrain and landform are relatively flat and desolate. These findings suggest that the Tamusu area presents favorable geological conditions for the construction and operation of a high-level radioactive waste repository.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express sincere thanks to Dr. Shuiwei Zhao from China Institute for Radiation Protection for his helpful discussion on criterion analysis. Prof. Miles Silbeman from University of Texas at El Paso is highly acknowledged for his help on grammar correction and professional comments that helps improving this paper to a higher level. This work was funded by the National Defense science, Technology and Industry Bureau project (NO. [2014]1587), Independent Fund Projects from the State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment (No. Z1904), and Special funds for local science and technology development guided by the central government (No. 2018ZDB40001), and Joint Innovation Fund of China Uranium Co., Ltd. - State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology (2022NRE-LH-01) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (42302044).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, China

    Hongxia Gao, Guangrong Li, Xiaodong Liu, Zheng Rao, Pinghui Liu, Shuai Liu, Zhijun Gong & Fengjuan Ni

  2. Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Nuclear Geology (Jiangxi Nuclear Geological Bureau 266th Brigade), Nanchang, 330038, Jiangxi, China

    Zheng Rao

  3. China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan, 030006, Shanxi, China

    Honghui Li

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  1. Hongxia Gao
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Correspondence to Guangrong Li.

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Gao, H., Li, G., Liu, X. et al. Geology of the Tamusu clay site for high level waste. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 333, 495–518 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09228-1

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