At the end of the last glacial period, a major marine transgression inundated the entire Persian ... more At the end of the last glacial period, a major marine transgression inundated the entire Persian Gulf. The precise position of the coastline with time has been the subject of several alternate interpretations. Utilizing sea level curves, shallow well data, sediment loads, satellite imagery, geomorphology, archeologic information, and historical data; the transgression and subsequent delta progradation at the head of the Persian Gulf can be delineated. The maximum transgression, at about 6000 B.P., extended about 400 km inland from the present shoreline. After 6000 B.P., the Shatt-al-Arab Delta prograded southward to its current position. Previous uncertainty about the extent of innundation and sedimentation in this archaeologically important area is, in part, the result of assymetric infilling of the embayment by large quantities of sediment from the Karun-Karkheh-Jarrahi River system. This portion of the delta prograded rapidly to the south, isolating a large portion of the embayment from the rest of the Gulf. The Hawzr marshes of today are the remnant of the freshwater lake(s) that formed in this fashion. The impact of these events on our knowledge of early human occupation and the development of civilization in the Tigris-Euphrates valley, is profound.
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by ... more TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof or its contractors or subcontractors. This report has been reproduced from the best available copy.
The Department of Energy's River Protection Project (RPP) is tasked with retrieving highly ra... more The Department of Energy's River Protection Project (RPP) is tasked with retrieving highly radioactive waste from Hanford double-shell and single-shell tanks to provide feed for vitrification for long-term storage. Approximately 330,000 metric tons of sodium-rich radioactive waste originating from separation of plutonium from irradiated uranium fuel is stored in 177 underground tanks at Hanford. Current plans call for much of this waste to be vitrified and disposed of at the Yucca Mountain waste repository. In order to do this, the contents of the tanks need to be physically and chemically characterized.
This report summarizes the electrochemical testing results for the aggressive layers testing reco... more This report summarizes the electrochemical testing results for the aggressive layers testing recommended by the single-shell tank integrity expert panel. From single-shell chemistry data, 39 layers were identified as possible aggressive waste layers and were grouped by aggressive ion and inhibitor ions. From those groups 18 segments were identified as representative segments and tested. The testing reported here showed pitting corrosion for six aggressive layers, and one layer showed a propensity for crevice corrosion. In these cases there was a lack of inhibitors, an abundance of aggressive ions, or both. A good prediction for pitting corrosion could be made by considering the pH value of the layer. When the pH was less than 12, there was a high probability for pitting to occur. However, the pH of the solution was not always an indicator, and the inhibitor ion and aggressive ion concentrations then needed to be considered.
Survey catalogs (see back inside cover) but not listed in the most recent annual "Price and Avail... more Survey catalogs (see back inside cover) but not listed in the most recent annual "Price and Availability List'' are no longer available. Prices of reports released to the open files are given in the listing "U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports," updated monthly, which is for sale in microfiche from the U.S. Geological Surv'ey, Books and Open-File Reports Section, Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225. Reports released through the NTIS may be obtained ' by writing to the
The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuc... more The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, is the focal point of a broad range of waste remediation efforts. This presentation will describe the development of cementitious waste forms for evaporated Hanford waste waters from several sources. Basin 42 waste water and simulants of proposed Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant secondary wastes and Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System secondary wastes were solidified in cementitious matrices termed "dry cementitious formulation." Solidification of these brines was difficult to deal with because of high sulfate contents.
The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuc... more The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, is the focal point of a broad range of waste remediation efforts. This presentation will describe the development of cementitious waste forms for evaporated Hanford waste waters from several sources. Basin 42 waste water and simulants of proposed Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant secondary wastes and Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System secondary wastes were solidified in cementitious matrices termed "dry cementitious formulation." Solidification of these brines was difficult to deal with because of high sulfate contents. Two approaches were explored. The first was based on compositions similar to sulphoaluminate-belite cements. The main component of these cements is 4CaO·2Al2O3·SO4. When hydrating in the presence of sulfate, these cements rapidly form ettringite. The goal was to consume the sulfate by rapidly forming ettringite. Forming ettringi...
The Buddhist cave temple complex at Yungang in northern China is affected by a rapid accumulation... more The Buddhist cave temple complex at Yungang in northern China is affected by a rapid accumulation of airborne particles that settle onto the thousands of statues contained within those caves. Experiments have been conducted to identify the most important air pollution sources that contribute to the dust deposition problem. The spatial distribution of the deposition rate of airborne particles within a 2 km X 2 km area surrounding the grottoes was measured during a 2-day period in April, 1991. Peak particle deposition rates of > 60 pg m-* s-l were found at locations within the village of Yungang itself and along the adjacent coal-haul highway. Moving away from the village and coal-haul highway, deposition rates decline to much lower values, indicating that the village and highway are significant sources of airborne particles. A comparison of the mineralogical composition of the dust deposits in the caves with the composition of local soil dust, paved road dust from the coal-haul highway and deteriorated cave ceiling rock material indicates that the dust deposits in the caves are a combination of the above sources, with the paved road dust from the coal-haul highway providing the closest match to the largest quantity of the material deposited in the caves.
Gibbsite [Al(OH)(3)] and boehmite (AlOOH) have long been assumed to be the most prevalent aluminu... more Gibbsite [Al(OH)(3)] and boehmite (AlOOH) have long been assumed to be the most prevalent aluminum-bearing minerals in Hanford high-level nuclear waste sludge. The present study shows that dawsonite [NaAl(OH)(2)CO(3)] is also a common aluminum-bearing phase in tanks containing high total inorganic carbon (TIC) concentrations and (relatively) low dissolved free hydroxide concentrations. Tank samples were probed for dawsonite by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and Polarized Light Optical Microscopy. Dawsonite was conclusively identified in four of six tanks studied. In a fifth tank (AN-102), the dawsonite identification was less conclusive because it was only observed as a Na-Al bearing phase with SEM-EDS. Four of the five tank samples with dawsonite also had solid phase Na(2)CO(3) · H(2)O. The one tank without observable dawsonite (Tank C-103) had the lowest TIC content of any of the six tanks. The amount of TIC in Tank C-103 was insufficient to convert most of the aluminum to dawsonite (Al:TIC mol ratio of 20:1). The rest of the tank samples had much lower Al:TIC ratios (between 2:1 and 0.5:1) than Tank C-103. One tank (AZ-102) initially had dawsonite, but dawsonite was not observed in samples taken 15 months after NaOH was added to the tank surface. When NaOH was added to a laboratory sample of waste from Tank AZ-102, the ratio of aluminum to TIC in solution was consistent with the dissolution of dawsonite. The presence of dawsonite in these tanks is of significance because of the large amount of OH(-) consumed by dawsonite dissolution, an effect confirmed with AZ-102 samples.
... In this report, I present a reconstruction of the shoreline in Mesopotamia since the be-ginni... more ... In this report, I present a reconstruction of the shoreline in Mesopotamia since the be-ginning of the Holocene (ca. ... There is general agreement on the mag-nitude and timing of eustatic sea level changes in the Pleistocene, but there is considerable debate over the details. ...
ABSTRACT Potential influences on methane emissions from the Green River oil shale were tested. Th... more ABSTRACT Potential influences on methane emissions from the Green River oil shale were tested. The factors investigated in this study were: 1.1. thermal maturity,2.2. total organic carbon (TOC),3.3. organic matter composition, and4.4. mineral matter composition. Analyses conducted include maceral reflectance (R0), qualitative and quantitative fluorescence petrography, TOC testing, modified Fisher assay, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD). Yellow lamalginite content was directly related to methane content. Methane content was more highly correlated to yellow lamalginite than any other factor. TOC did not influence the methane contents of the samples. Thermal maturation did not control methane emissions because no thermal variation was measured in the sample suite. The altered maceral group (AMG) played no significant role in methane production from the samples. Stepwise linear multivariate regressions were performed to combine and equate variables to methane content.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.... more The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, is the focal point of a broad range of waste remediation efforts. This presentation will describe a test program to develop a "cast stone" formulation for the stabilization of certain Hanford tank wastes (Lockrem 2005). The program consisted of (1) a short series of tests with nonradioactive simulant to select preferred dry reagent formulations (DRF) and determine allowable liquid addition levels, (2) waste form performance testing on cast stone made from the DRF formulations using low-activity waste (LAW) simulant, (3) waste form performance testing on cast stone made from the preferred DRF using LAW, (4) waste form validation testing on a selected nominal cast stone formulation using the preferred DRF and LAW simulant, and (5) technetium "getter" testing with cast stone made with LAW simulant and with LAW. In addition, nitrate leaching observations were drawn from nitrate leachability data obtained in the course of waste form performance testing. The nitrate leachability index results are presented along with data on other performance criteria. The results of this study led to the selection of a specific DRF. The key attributes of the DRF/waste loading combination considered were presence of "bleed" (or free) water, volume change on curing, compressive strength, maximum curing temperature, toxicity characteristic leaching testing, ANSI/ANS-16.1 (Measurement of the Leachability of Solidified Low-Level Radioactive Wastes by a Short-Term Test Procedure) leachability, and hydraulic conductivity. Important considerations included that the monoliths could be produced using readily available, low-cost reagents. The key results from each of these testing and evaluation activity categories will be summarized.
At the end of the last glacial period, a major marine transgression inundated the entire Persian ... more At the end of the last glacial period, a major marine transgression inundated the entire Persian Gulf. The precise position of the coastline with time has been the subject of several alternate interpretations. Utilizing sea level curves, shallow well data, sediment loads, satellite imagery, geomorphology, archeologic information, and historical data; the transgression and subsequent delta progradation at the head of the Persian Gulf can be delineated. The maximum transgression, at about 6000 B.P., extended about 400 km inland from the present shoreline. After 6000 B.P., the Shatt-al-Arab Delta prograded southward to its current position. Previous uncertainty about the extent of innundation and sedimentation in this archaeologically important area is, in part, the result of assymetric infilling of the embayment by large quantities of sediment from the Karun-Karkheh-Jarrahi River system. This portion of the delta prograded rapidly to the south, isolating a large portion of the embayment from the rest of the Gulf. The Hawzr marshes of today are the remnant of the freshwater lake(s) that formed in this fashion. The impact of these events on our knowledge of early human occupation and the development of civilization in the Tigris-Euphrates valley, is profound.
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by ... more TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof or its contractors or subcontractors. This report has been reproduced from the best available copy.
The Department of Energy's River Protection Project (RPP) is tasked with retrieving highly ra... more The Department of Energy's River Protection Project (RPP) is tasked with retrieving highly radioactive waste from Hanford double-shell and single-shell tanks to provide feed for vitrification for long-term storage. Approximately 330,000 metric tons of sodium-rich radioactive waste originating from separation of plutonium from irradiated uranium fuel is stored in 177 underground tanks at Hanford. Current plans call for much of this waste to be vitrified and disposed of at the Yucca Mountain waste repository. In order to do this, the contents of the tanks need to be physically and chemically characterized.
This report summarizes the electrochemical testing results for the aggressive layers testing reco... more This report summarizes the electrochemical testing results for the aggressive layers testing recommended by the single-shell tank integrity expert panel. From single-shell chemistry data, 39 layers were identified as possible aggressive waste layers and were grouped by aggressive ion and inhibitor ions. From those groups 18 segments were identified as representative segments and tested. The testing reported here showed pitting corrosion for six aggressive layers, and one layer showed a propensity for crevice corrosion. In these cases there was a lack of inhibitors, an abundance of aggressive ions, or both. A good prediction for pitting corrosion could be made by considering the pH value of the layer. When the pH was less than 12, there was a high probability for pitting to occur. However, the pH of the solution was not always an indicator, and the inhibitor ion and aggressive ion concentrations then needed to be considered.
Survey catalogs (see back inside cover) but not listed in the most recent annual "Price and Avail... more Survey catalogs (see back inside cover) but not listed in the most recent annual "Price and Availability List'' are no longer available. Prices of reports released to the open files are given in the listing "U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports," updated monthly, which is for sale in microfiche from the U.S. Geological Surv'ey, Books and Open-File Reports Section, Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225. Reports released through the NTIS may be obtained ' by writing to the
The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuc... more The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, is the focal point of a broad range of waste remediation efforts. This presentation will describe the development of cementitious waste forms for evaporated Hanford waste waters from several sources. Basin 42 waste water and simulants of proposed Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant secondary wastes and Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System secondary wastes were solidified in cementitious matrices termed "dry cementitious formulation." Solidification of these brines was difficult to deal with because of high sulfate contents.
The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuc... more The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, is the focal point of a broad range of waste remediation efforts. This presentation will describe the development of cementitious waste forms for evaporated Hanford waste waters from several sources. Basin 42 waste water and simulants of proposed Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant secondary wastes and Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System secondary wastes were solidified in cementitious matrices termed "dry cementitious formulation." Solidification of these brines was difficult to deal with because of high sulfate contents. Two approaches were explored. The first was based on compositions similar to sulphoaluminate-belite cements. The main component of these cements is 4CaO·2Al2O3·SO4. When hydrating in the presence of sulfate, these cements rapidly form ettringite. The goal was to consume the sulfate by rapidly forming ettringite. Forming ettringi...
The Buddhist cave temple complex at Yungang in northern China is affected by a rapid accumulation... more The Buddhist cave temple complex at Yungang in northern China is affected by a rapid accumulation of airborne particles that settle onto the thousands of statues contained within those caves. Experiments have been conducted to identify the most important air pollution sources that contribute to the dust deposition problem. The spatial distribution of the deposition rate of airborne particles within a 2 km X 2 km area surrounding the grottoes was measured during a 2-day period in April, 1991. Peak particle deposition rates of > 60 pg m-* s-l were found at locations within the village of Yungang itself and along the adjacent coal-haul highway. Moving away from the village and coal-haul highway, deposition rates decline to much lower values, indicating that the village and highway are significant sources of airborne particles. A comparison of the mineralogical composition of the dust deposits in the caves with the composition of local soil dust, paved road dust from the coal-haul highway and deteriorated cave ceiling rock material indicates that the dust deposits in the caves are a combination of the above sources, with the paved road dust from the coal-haul highway providing the closest match to the largest quantity of the material deposited in the caves.
Gibbsite [Al(OH)(3)] and boehmite (AlOOH) have long been assumed to be the most prevalent aluminu... more Gibbsite [Al(OH)(3)] and boehmite (AlOOH) have long been assumed to be the most prevalent aluminum-bearing minerals in Hanford high-level nuclear waste sludge. The present study shows that dawsonite [NaAl(OH)(2)CO(3)] is also a common aluminum-bearing phase in tanks containing high total inorganic carbon (TIC) concentrations and (relatively) low dissolved free hydroxide concentrations. Tank samples were probed for dawsonite by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and Polarized Light Optical Microscopy. Dawsonite was conclusively identified in four of six tanks studied. In a fifth tank (AN-102), the dawsonite identification was less conclusive because it was only observed as a Na-Al bearing phase with SEM-EDS. Four of the five tank samples with dawsonite also had solid phase Na(2)CO(3) · H(2)O. The one tank without observable dawsonite (Tank C-103) had the lowest TIC content of any of the six tanks. The amount of TIC in Tank C-103 was insufficient to convert most of the aluminum to dawsonite (Al:TIC mol ratio of 20:1). The rest of the tank samples had much lower Al:TIC ratios (between 2:1 and 0.5:1) than Tank C-103. One tank (AZ-102) initially had dawsonite, but dawsonite was not observed in samples taken 15 months after NaOH was added to the tank surface. When NaOH was added to a laboratory sample of waste from Tank AZ-102, the ratio of aluminum to TIC in solution was consistent with the dissolution of dawsonite. The presence of dawsonite in these tanks is of significance because of the large amount of OH(-) consumed by dawsonite dissolution, an effect confirmed with AZ-102 samples.
... In this report, I present a reconstruction of the shoreline in Mesopotamia since the be-ginni... more ... In this report, I present a reconstruction of the shoreline in Mesopotamia since the be-ginning of the Holocene (ca. ... There is general agreement on the mag-nitude and timing of eustatic sea level changes in the Pleistocene, but there is considerable debate over the details. ...
ABSTRACT Potential influences on methane emissions from the Green River oil shale were tested. Th... more ABSTRACT Potential influences on methane emissions from the Green River oil shale were tested. The factors investigated in this study were: 1.1. thermal maturity,2.2. total organic carbon (TOC),3.3. organic matter composition, and4.4. mineral matter composition. Analyses conducted include maceral reflectance (R0), qualitative and quantitative fluorescence petrography, TOC testing, modified Fisher assay, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD). Yellow lamalginite content was directly related to methane content. Methane content was more highly correlated to yellow lamalginite than any other factor. TOC did not influence the methane contents of the samples. Thermal maturation did not control methane emissions because no thermal variation was measured in the sample suite. The altered maceral group (AMG) played no significant role in methane production from the samples. Stepwise linear multivariate regressions were performed to combine and equate variables to methane content.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.... more The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site, the location of plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, is the focal point of a broad range of waste remediation efforts. This presentation will describe a test program to develop a "cast stone" formulation for the stabilization of certain Hanford tank wastes (Lockrem 2005). The program consisted of (1) a short series of tests with nonradioactive simulant to select preferred dry reagent formulations (DRF) and determine allowable liquid addition levels, (2) waste form performance testing on cast stone made from the DRF formulations using low-activity waste (LAW) simulant, (3) waste form performance testing on cast stone made from the preferred DRF using LAW, (4) waste form validation testing on a selected nominal cast stone formulation using the preferred DRF and LAW simulant, and (5) technetium "getter" testing with cast stone made with LAW simulant and with LAW. In addition, nitrate leaching observations were drawn from nitrate leachability data obtained in the course of waste form performance testing. The nitrate leachability index results are presented along with data on other performance criteria. The results of this study led to the selection of a specific DRF. The key attributes of the DRF/waste loading combination considered were presence of "bleed" (or free) water, volume change on curing, compressive strength, maximum curing temperature, toxicity characteristic leaching testing, ANSI/ANS-16.1 (Measurement of the Leachability of Solidified Low-Level Radioactive Wastes by a Short-Term Test Procedure) leachability, and hydraulic conductivity. Important considerations included that the monoliths could be produced using readily available, low-cost reagents. The key results from each of these testing and evaluation activity categories will be summarized.
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