Lecture 03-27-2017 Flashcards
Anthropogenic-Induced Earthquakes
- Impoundment of reservoirs,
- surface and underground mining,
- withdrawal of fluids and gas from the subsurface, and
- injection of fluids into underground formations are capable of inducing earthquakes.
Injection-Induced Earthquake examples
- Rangely Oil Field–Northwestern Colorado.
2. Rocky Mountain Arsenal injection well–Denver, Colorado.
Waste Injection Wells in Sarnia
Waste forced under pressure through injection wells eventually followed the path of abandoned water wells to the ground surface which contaminated areas around the St. Clair River.
Long-term radioactive waste disposal goal
Keep radioactive wastes and the biosphere separated at all costs.
Long-term radioactive waste disposal site characteristics.
Geological disposal in rocks with low permeability in areas with a low chance of seismic events.
Best option for long-term radioactive waste disposal sites in Canada
Plutonic rock in Ontario (Canadian Shield Locations).
Current nuclear subsurface waste-management facilities in Canada (6):
- Chalk River, AB
- Suffield, AB
- Whiteshell, MB
- Pickering, ON
- Gentilly, QC
- Point Lepreau, NB
CNSC
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission - issue the licence to dispose of radioactive substances.
Current issue in Ontario regarding radioactive waste disposal.
We have interim storage, but we need an ultimate disposal site(s).
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, New Mexico, US
Successful example of radioactive waste disposal site in US
Factors to consider when planning a long term nuclear waste disposal site:
- Rock permeability
- Sabotage-proof
- Not breached by a nuclear blast
- Accidental drilling of boreholes (biggest risk)
- Catastrophic meteorite impact
- Faulting and related ground-water threat
Long-term radioactive waste disposal site rock characteristics.
- crystalline rocks
- salts
- shales
- clays
- plutonic rocks
- salt deposits
- serpentinite—the rock type which Inuit use for sculpting
