Retention of rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in sedimentary rocks; A Case study in the Horonobe area of Hokkaido, Japan

Murakami, Takuma; Sasamoto, Hiroshi; Mizuno, Takashi

Chikyu Kagaku, 50(4), p.299 - 317, 2016/12

http://doi.org/10.14934/chikyukagaku.50.299

Development of techniques for investigating the long-term migration of elements in deep underground is important with respect to safety assessment for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. As one study of the migration of elements in deep underground, the distribution of REE, Th and U in sedimentary rock of Horonobe area in Hokkaido was investigated, and discussed whether the difference of hydrogeological structure and lithofacies influences on the distributions. As the results, it was considered that REE and Th were mainly retained in minerals originating from terrigenous clastic and secondary mineral occurred in early diagenesis, and their distributions were relatively homogenous in both the Koetoi and Wakkanai formations. Uranium was indicated to be maintained in the sedimentary rock until now after depositing in deep-sea sediment. It was considered that the U deposition was occurred by adsorption on organic matter and reductive precipitation with decomposition of organic matter. In addition, it was confirmed that the distributions of these elements were not influenced by the difference of hydrogeological and lithofacies.

Some Aspects of Natural Analogue Studies for Assessment of Long-Term Durability of Engineered Barrier Materials; Recent Activities at PNC Tokai, Japan

Yusa, Yasuhisa; Kamei, Gento; Arai, Takashi

PNC TN8410 91-007, 18 Pages, 1990/12

PNC-TN8410-91-007.pdf:0.59MB

This paper contains an overview of analogue studies for the assessment of long-term durability of engineered barrier materials at PNC Tokai. Materials of young age and with simple history are the most suitable for study as: (1)properties of the materials tend to deteriorate over longer historical time intervals; and (2) detailed quantitative data on time intervals and environmental conditions are more likely to be available. The following materials and their alteration phenomena were selected: (1)weathering alteration of basaltic glass (as vitrified waste form), (2)corrosion of iron in soil (as overpack), (3)illitization of smectite associated with contact metamorphism (as buffer material), (4)alteration of cement (as buffer or backfill material). (1)Weathering alteration of basaltic glass: Basaltic g1asses, from the Fuji and the Izu-Ohshima pyroclastic fall deposits were studied. The observations were made: (a)Climatological conditions have not varied significantly during the last three thousand years. Therefore, values for temperature, amount, and chemistry of ground water are quantified. (b)The cases studied could be regarded as leaching experiments in groundwater, using mass balances in water-g1ass interaction. (c)Although the groundwater is of Ca(Mg)-HCO type in the Fuji area and of Na-Cl type in the Izu-Ohshima, similar alteration ratios (2 3m/1000yr) were obtained. (2)Corrosion of iron in soil: Industrial materials, such as gas/water service pipes of carbon steel or cast iron embedded in soil for 20 110 years, were selected for an analogue study of corrosion of iron in bentonite. The maximum corrosion rates obtained so far fall in the range of 0.040.09 mm/yr. (3)Illitization of smectite associated with contact metamorphism: In the Murakami bentonite deposit in central Japan, lateral variation of smectite to smectite/illite mixed-layer minerals are found in the aureole of the rhyolite intrusion body. Conversion of smectite to the