Summary of hydrogeologic controls on ground-water flow at the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada

Laczniak, Randell J.; Cole, James C.; Sawyer, David A.; Trudeau, Douglas A.

doi:10.2172/257364

Cited by 182 publications

(359 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

357

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The conceptual flow paths evaluated during this study were guided by previous hydrologic studies of the Yucca Flat groundwater flow system, primarily Winograd and Thordarson (1975) and Laczniak et al (1996). Groundwater chemistry evolves along a given flow path and the chemistry at any location may reflect both mixing of different groundwaters and water-rock reactions.…”

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Death Valley Regional Flow System is characterized by carbonate-hosted interbasin flow associated with large regional springs (Figures 2-7 and 2-9) (Winograd and Thordarson, 1975;Harrill et al, 1988;Laczniak et al, 1996). The northern boundary of the Death Valley flow system is at approximately 38° north latitude, but the extent of flow across this boundary from the adjacent This similarly in composition led Winograd and Friedman (1972) to propose a hydrologic connection between Pahranagat Valley and the eastern NTS.…”

Section: Figure 2-9 Locations Of Regional Carbonate Springsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most recharge within Yucca Flat results from precipitation at the higher elevation on Rainier Mesa and in the Belted Range (Laczniak et al, 1996). Rocks exposed at the surface to the east, north, and northeast of Yucca Flat typically have low permeabilities and are classified as confining units.…”

Section: Groundwater Rechargementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Geochemical and Isotopic Evaluation of Groundwater Movement in Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. No.: 0

Farnham¹

2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 2-9 Locations Of Regional Carbonate Springsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Geochemical and Isotopic Evaluation of Groundwater Movement in Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. No.: 0

Farnham¹

2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Knowledge of type and distribution of alteration minerals is important for hydrologic modeling in volcanic terrains both for prediction of the movement of water and for prediction of sorptive characteristics of the rocks with regards to radionuclides. Secondary alteration for much of Pahute Mesa, including the TYBO-BENHAM area, has typically been described as simply zeolitic (Blankennagel and Weir, 1973;Winograd and Thordarson, 1975;Laczniak et al, 1996;and Prothro et al, 1998). However, detailed petrographic, mineralogic, and chemical analyses presented in this section show that secondary alteration in the TYBO-BENHAM area is far more complex.…”

Section: 3mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only those hydrogeologic units that are at least partially saturated within drill holes of the TYBO-BENHAM area are discussed in this section. For discussions of the hydrogeology below the depth of this investigation and outside of the TYBO-BENHAM area, see Laczniak et al (1996) and .…”

Section: Hydrogeologic Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geology in the Vicinity of the TYBO and BENHAM Underground Nuclear Tests, Pahute Mesa, Nevada Test Site

Prothro¹

2001

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent radiochemical evidence from groundwater characterization and monitoring wells in the vicinity of the TYBO and BENHAM underground nuclear tests in Area 20 of the Nevada Test Site, suggests that migration of radionuclides within groundwater beneath this portion of Area 20 may be more rapid than previously thought. In order to gain a better understanding of the hydrogeologic conditions in the TYBO-BENHAM area for more accurate flow and transport modeling, a reevaluation of the subsurface geologic environment in the vicinity of the two underground tests was conducted. Eight existing drill holes provided subsurface control for the area. These holes included groundwater characterization and monitoring wells, exploratory holes, and large-diameter emplacement holes used for underground nuclear weapons tests. Detailed and consistent geologic descriptions of these holes were produced by updating existing geologic descriptions with data from petrographic, chemical, and mineralogic analyses, and current stratigraphic concepts of the region. The updated descriptions, along with surface geologic data, were used to develop a detailed geologic model of the TYBO-BENHAM area. This model is represented by diagrams that correlate stratigraphic, lithologic, and alteration intervals between holes, and by isopach and structure maps and geologic cross sections. Regional data outside the TYBO-BENHAM area were included in the isopach and structure maps to better evaluate the geology of the TYBO-BENHAM area in a regional context. The geologic model was then evaluated with regard to groundwater flow and radionuclide migration to assess the model's implications for flow and transport modeling. Implications include: 1) confirmation of the general hydrogeology of the area described in previous studies; 2) the presence of two previously unrecognized buried faults that could act as zones of enhanced permeability within aquifers; and 3) secondary alteration within tuff confining units that is much more complex than previously described.iv This page intentionally left blank.

show abstract

Using multivariate statistical analysis of groundwater major cation and trace element concentrations to evaluate groundwater flow in a regional aquifer

et al. 1999

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Groundwater samples were collected from 11 springs in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in southern Nevada and seven springs from Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Concentrations of the major cations (Ca, Mg, Na and K) and 45 trace elements were determined in these groundwater samples. The resultant data were subjected to evaluation via the multivariate statistical technique principal components analysis (PCA), to investigate the chemical relationships between the Ash Meadows and Death Valley spring waters, to evaluate whether the results of the PCA support those of previous hydrogeological and isotopic studies and to determine if PCA can be used to help delineate potential groundwater¯ow patterns based on the chemical compositions of groundwaters. The results of the PCA indicated that groundwaters from the regional Paleozoic carbonate aquifers (all of the Ash Meadows springs and four springs from the Furnace Creek region of Death Valley) exhibited strong statistical associations, whereas other Death Valley groundwaters were chemically dierent. The results of the PCA support earlier studies, where potentiometric head levels, d18 O and dD, geological relationships and rare earth element data were used to evaluate groundwater¯ow, which suggest groundwater¯ows from Ash Meadows to the Furnace Creek springs in Death Valley. The PCA suggests that Furnace Creek groundwaters are moderately concentrated Ash Meadows groundwater, re¯ecting longer aquifer residence times for the Furnace Creek groundwaters. Moreover, PCA indicates that groundwater maȳ ow from springs in the region surrounding Scotty's Castle in Death Valley National Park, to a spring discharging on the valley¯oor. The study indicates that PCA may provide rapid and relatively cost-eective methods to assess possible groundwater¯ow regimes in systems that have not been previously investigated.

show abstract

Summary of hydrogeologic controls on ground-water flow at the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada

Cited by 182 publications

References 45 publications

Geochemical and Isotopic Evaluation of Groundwater Movement in Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. No.: 0

Geochemical and Isotopic Evaluation of Groundwater Movement in Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. No.: 0

Geology in the Vicinity of the TYBO and BENHAM Underground Nuclear Tests, Pahute Mesa, Nevada Test Site

Using multivariate statistical analysis of groundwater major cation and trace element concentrations to evaluate groundwater flow in a regional aquifer

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About