Karst at WIPP
Posted by John Tauxe on May 24, 1999 at 13:41:17:In Reply to: Site Characterization posted by Myla Reson on May 20, 1999 at 16:05:52:
Myla -
I'd have to agree with you that there has been a lot of money wasted on insufficient characterization of the WIPP site. I was questioning whether we should waste more.
About karst, though: I'll side with DOE and EPA on this one. WIPP is in the middle of the Delaware basin, which is a large evaporite basin left behind from when the Permian seas dried up. The seas were surrounded by coral reefs, which still stand out around the basin - Carlsbad Caverns is a very large karst feature in these limestone fossil reefs. Surely no one could argue that these limestones are not heavily "karstified". Nevertheless, the Delaware Basin, while surrounded by these karst terranes, is not related to the karst. Yes, there is some dissolution of the Rustler on the fringes of the area of interest to WIPP, but that is 2000 ft above the WIPP and many miles away, nearer the Pecos River.
Drilling holes is not as cheap as you imagine, though as a hydrogeologist I would love to see more of the tests you mention. Unfortunately, none of those can determine whether karst exists at a site, unless a hole is lucky enough to enter a cavity. You could easily drill an array of holes and easily miss a karst feature.
But, drilling problems aside, the Salado Salt, in which WIPP is mined, cannot be karst BY DEFINITION, and there is no way the flexible salt could support an open cavity like a cavern, or like WIPP for that matter.
- John Tauxe credentials Myla Reson 5/26/99 (1)
- credentials John Tauxe 6/07/99 (0)