Abstract
The natural near-field environment in and around the emplacement drifts of the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, includes the host rock, dust, seepage, and pore water. The chemical compositions of these components have been analyzed to provide a basis for assessing possible chemical and mineralogical reactions that may occur after nuclear waste is emplaced. The rock unit hosting the proposed repository has a relatively uniform chemical composition as shown by samples with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) of 9 percent for major elements. In contrast, compositional ranges of underground dust (bulk and water-soluble fractions), pore water, and seepage water are large with mean CVs ranging from 28 to 64 percent for major constituents.
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Peterman, Z.E., Oliver, T.A. Geochemistry of Natural Components in the Near-Field Environment, Yucca Mountain, Nevada. MRS Online Proceedings Library 985, 1310 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-985-0985-NN13-10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-985-0985-NN13-10