Fracture Variability and Hydrologic Implications at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

An understanding of the role of fractures at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is needed to evaluate the suitability of the site to host a high-level nuclear waste repository. Current infiltration rates at Yucca Mountain require water to move through some fractures in the unsaturated welded units because the matrix porosity and permeability of these units are too small to accommodate the total flow. Though only about 20% of connected fractures are estimated to actively transmit water, flow and transport within fractures can greatly affect repository performance because fractures could be fast pathways for migration of radioactive particles. Under the current design, the potential repository would be located in a densely welded tuff sequence with highly variable fracture characteristics. This variability, resulting largely from the presence of lithophysal cavities, creates heterogeneous flow patterns through the unsaturated zone. Lithophysal cavities interrupt the continuity of fractures they intersect and may locally influence fracture propagation. In welded nonlithophysal zones, fractures tend to be longer and more widely spaced than in lithophysal zones, which generally display a greater number of closely spaced, short-length fractures. Seepage of water into potential waste-emplacement drifts will be affected by the fracture characteristics within the surrounding rock wall. Fractures with sufficient capillary suction, permeability, and lateral connectivity can enhance capillary barrier effects and lateral diversion around drift openings, thus reducing the potential for seepage. Lithophysal units, which have high secondary permeability owing to an abundance of well-connected small fractures capable of accommodating lateral flow, may be more favorable for repository performance (i. e., promote less seepage) than nonlithophysal units. Conceptual models for fracture flow based on mapped geometric and hydrologic fracture characteristics are presented, emphasizing the relevant subset of all fractures occurring within the unsaturated tuffs that may impact potential repository performance