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Megascopic Controls on Radionuclide Transport in Groundwater Flow Systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

Leslie Smith
Affiliation:
Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Franklin W. Schwartz
Affiliation:
Dept. of Geology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Abstract

In this paper we investigate how the geologic structure of a basin influences the reliability with which predictions of radionuclide transport within a depository horizon can be made. Results from a series of stochastic simulations show that, in some cases, transport predictions are sensitive to perturbations in the hydraulic properties of surrounding layers, indicating megascopic effects on a basin-wide scale exert a significant control on transport at the macroscopic scale. Other cases are identified where transport is not sensitive to perturbations in the hydraulic properties of surrounding layers. A key factor in this response is the distribution of the hydraulic gradient in the basin.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1983

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References

REFERENCES

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