Dating of buried wood logs and fragments for high resolution reconstruction of landslide histories; Case studies in the Japanese Alps region in the historical times

Yamada, Ryuji*; Kimura, Takashi*; Kariya, Yoshihiko*; Sano, Masaki*; Tsushima, Akane*; Li, Z.*; Nakatsuka, Takeshi*; Kokubu, Yoko; Inoue, Kimio*

Sabo Gakkai-Shi, 73(5), p.3 - 14, 2021/01

We discuss the applicability of dating methods for determining landslide chronologies in relation to the type of samples and the sampling location. Case studies are carried out with fossil wood samples buried in the colluvial soil of large-scale landslides occurred in two areas of the Japanese Alps region. Ages are determined by accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating and dendrochronological analysis using the oxygen isotope composition of tree ring cellulose. Most of ages for Dondokosawa rock avalanche are concordant with the period of AD 887 Ninna (Goki-Shichido) earthquake. Ages for Ohtsukigawa debris avalanche are not concentrated in a specific period. In order to obtain accurate age of large-scale landslide, utilizing buried large diameter tree trunk or branches with the good preservation condition has a lot of advantages because it allows us to compare the landslide chronology with historical records of heavy rainfall and large earthquakes.

User manual of Soil and Cesium Transport (SACT), a program to predict long-term Cs distribution using USLE for soil erosion, transportation and deposition

Saito, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Masaaki; Kitamura, Akihiro

JAEA-Testing 2016-003, 68 Pages, 2016/12

JAEA-Testing-2016-003.pdf:6.4MB

JAEA has developed a simple and fast simulation program "SACT" (Soil and Cesium Transport) to predict a long-term distribution of Cs deposited on the land surface due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident. It calculates soil movement (erosion, transportation, deposition) and Cs migration, and predicts its future distribution with the assumption that it is adhered to soil. SACT uses USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) for potential soil loss and simple equations for soil transportation and deposition. The Cs amount is predicted by the amount of soil movement and Cs concentration ratio for each grain-size of soil. SACT is characterized by its simplicity which enables fast calculation for wide area for long-term duration using existing equations. Data for parameters are widely available and site-specific calculations are possible using data of the targeted area. This manual provides useful and necessary information to users and facilitates the use of SACT widely.

Changes in groundwater flow after remediation with capping for the Upstream of Mill Tailings Pond at Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center

Nishida, Nobuho; Ohara, Yoshiyuki; Kawamoto, Tsutomu

Heisei-28-Nendo Zenkoku Kozan, Seirenjo Gemba Tantosha Kaigi Shigen/Shinzozai Koenshu, p.69 - 74, 2016/06

Japan Atomic Energy Agency Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center, has been conducting environmental remediation of the Ningyo-toge mine and Togo mine, after decades of mine-related activities including uranium exploration, mining and test milling were terminated, with doing safety measure, under Mining Safety law. As the one, culvert installation and multi-layered capping were performed at Upstream of Yotsugi Mill Tailings Pond to inspect about stability of multi-layered capping with checking rainwater infiltration restraint and radon dissipation inhibiting effect, from FY 2011 to FY 2012. And it was presumed possibility of amount of underground water is increased, as result of fluctuation numerical analysis for Upstream of Yotsugi Mill Tailings Pond before and after the multi-layered capping, and the water level of bowling holes around the Pond and spring water which flows from lower place of the Pond. But a culvert possesses enough drainage function and groundwater does not rise to the multi-layered capping part. Therefore, it is considered that there isn't problem to the stability of the current state of the multi-layered capping, but we will continue the monitoring of the water level of the bowling hole around the Pond, and the spring water which flows from lower place of the Pond.

Effect of change of environmental conditions on the elemental composition of airborne dust

Miyamoto, Yutaka; Saito, Yoko; Magara, Masaaki; Sakurai, Satoshi; Usuda, Shigekazu

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 271(1), p.83 - 88, 2007/01

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-007-0110-8

Airborne dust samples were collected with a high-volume sampler at a fixed point in JAERI-Tokai for three years. Recently at JAERI-Tokai, a number of pine trees to arrest sand shifting was cut down. We analyzed the variation in elemental composition of the dust collected before and after felling the trees. It found, from the two-dimentional plots of ratio of elemental concentration such as Sc/Na-Cl/Na ratios, almost all samples consisted of mixture of sea-salt and soil. There were some differences between the elemental composition of the dust collected before and after felling the trees.

Passivation condition of carbon steel in bentonite/sand mixture

Taniguchi, Naoki; Kawakami, Susumu; *

JNC TN8400 2001-025, 27 Pages, 2002/03

JNC-TN8400-2001-025.pdf:1.16MB

It is essential to understand the corrosion type of carbon steel under the repository conditions for the lifetime assessment of carbon steel overpack used for geological isolation of high-level radioactive waste. According to the previous study, carbon steel is hard to passivate in buffer material assuming a chemical condition range of groundwater in Japan. However, concrete support will be constructed around the overpack in the case of repository in the soft rock system and groundwater having a higher pH may infiltrate to buffer material. There is a possibility that the corrosion type of carbon steel will be influenced by the rise of the pH in groundwater. In this study, anodic polarization experiments were performed to understand the passivation condition of carbon steel in buffer material saturated with water contacted with concrete. An ordinary concrete and a low-alkalinity concrete were used in the experiment. The results of the experiments showed that the carbon steel can passivate under the condition that water having pH 13 infiltrate to the buffer material assuming present property of buffer material. If the low-alkalinity concrete is selected as the support material, passivation can not occur on carbon steel overpack. The effect of the factors of buffer material such as dry density and mixing ratio of sand on the passivation of carbon steel was also studied. The results of the study showed that the present property of buffer material is enough to prevent passivation of carbon steel.

Migration mechanisms of Amerisium(III) through soil layers

Tanaka, Tadao; Ogawa, Hiromichi; Muraoka, Susumu

Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Vol.663, p.1169 - 1177, 2001/00

no abstracts in English

Environmental factors affecting radon exhalation from a sandy soil

Koarashi, Jun; Amano, Hikaru; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko

JAERI-Research 2000-028, 24 Pages, 2000/07

JAERI-Research-2000-028.pdf:2.13MB

no abstracts in English

Measurements of thermal properties of buffer materials; Measurement of physical properties of buffer materials and improvement of measuring method

*

JNC TJ8400 2000-017, 74 Pages, 2000/02

JNC-TJ8400-2000-017.pdf:1.71MB

The report concerns the improvement of the method measuring thermal conductivity of buffer materials using a thermistor probe and the measurement of thermal conductivity of compacted bentonites and mixtures of bentonite and silica sand using the proposed method measuring thermophysical properties. The method measuring thermal conductivity is improved in accuracy and the apparatus is improved so as to measure easily with more short time. The calculated values of the conventional correlations predicting thermal conductivity of bentonite and mixture were compared with the exising and present data of thermal conductivity of bentonites and mixtures. The correlation proposed by Sakashita and Kumada can predict the best fitted values with the data of the bentonites and Fricke and Bruggeman correlations are fitted with the data for the mixtures with practical accuracy.

Evaluation of Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Phenomena in the Near Field for Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive waste

Chijimatsu, Masakazu*; Fujita, Tomoo; Sugita, Yutaka; Taniguchi, Wataru

JNC TN8400 2000-008, 339 Pages, 2000/01

JNC-TN8400-2000-008.pdf:30.96MB

Geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in Japan is based on a multibarrier system composed of engineered and natural barriers. The engineered barriers are composed of vitrified waste confined within a canister, overpack and buffer material. Highly compacted bentonite clay is considered one of the most promising candidate buffer material mainly because of its low hydraulic conductivity and high adsorption capacity of radionuclides. In a repository for HLW, complex thermal, hydraulic and mechanical (T-H-M) phenomena will take place, involving the interactive processes between radioactive decay heat from the vitrified waste, infiltration of ground water and stress generation due to the earth pressure, the thermal loading and the swelling pressure of the buffer material. In order to evaluate the performance of the buffer material, the coupled T-H-M behaviors within the compacted bentonite have to be modelled. Before establishing a fully coupled T-H-M model, the mechanism of each single Phenomenon or partially coupled phenomena should be identified. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the coupled T-H-M phenomena, the analysis model was developed physically and numerically and the adequacy and the applicability was tested though the engineered scale laboratory test and in-situ test. In this report, the investigative results for the development of coupled T-H-M model were described. This report consists of eight chapters. In Chapter l, the necessity of coupled T-H-M model in the geological disposal project of the high-level radioactive waste was described. In Chapter 2, the laboratory test results of the rock sample and the buffer material for the coupled T-H-M analysis were shown. The rock samples were obtained from the in-situ experimental site at Kamaishi mine. As the buffer material, bentonite clay (Kunigel V1 and Kunigel OT-9607) and bentonite-sand mixture were used. In Chapter 3, in-situ tests to obtain the rock property were shown. As ...

Nuclide migration study in the QUALITY; Data acquisitions for the second progress report

Ashida, Takashi; ; Sato, Haruo; ; Kitamura, Akira; Kawamura, Kazuhiro

JNC TN8400 99-083, 63 Pages, 1999/11

JNC-TN8400-99-083.pdf:5.36MB

Studies on the chemical and migration behaviour of radionuclides were carried out in the Quantitative Assessment Radionuclide Migration Experimental Facility (QUALITY)for assuring the relaiability and for improving the propriety of data concerning nuclide migration used in the Second Progress Report for the geoloical disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Five studies for solubility, sorption and diffusion concerning nuclide migration were carried out. The overview of each study and the result is as follows: (1)Study on Effect of Carbonate on Np Solubility. Solubilities of Np(IV) were measured as functions of pH and carbonate concentration under reducing conditions. The obtained data could be well described by considering two hydroxo-carbonate complexes, and those stability constants were estimated and compared with the literature data. Consequently, the data obtained in this study were similar to the literature data. (2)Study on Effect of Carbonate on Np Sorption on Bentonite. Distribution coefficients (Kd) of Np(IV) on smectite were measured as a function of carbonate concentration. The obtained Kd values were approximately constant over the carbonate concentration (total carbon concentration 0.04-0.15M). The results of desorption tests by 1M KCl and HCl at the end of sorption experiments showed two different desorption behaviour; Np(IV) was well removed by HCl for the experiments in low carbonate concentration and by KCl for those in high carbonate concentration. (3)Distribution Coefficient Measurements for Cs, Pb and Cm on Rocks. Distribution Coefficients for Cs, Pb and Cm on Japanese major rocks (basalt, mudstone, sandstone, granodiorite and tuff) were measured as a function of ionic strength. The obtained Kd values were either the same orders or higher compared with data used to both fresh and saline groundwater systems in the Second Progress Report. This indicates that the Kd data used in the Second Progress Report are either proper or conservative. ...