Summary of the geology and physical properties of the Climax Stock, Nevada Test Site

Maldonado, Florian

doi:10.3133/ofr77356

Cited by 33 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The Climax material is a medium-grained, porphyritic granite with 5-10% quartz phenocrysts averaging 4 mm in length and approximately 5% potassium feldspar phenocrysts averaging 50 mm in length. Modal analysis yields zt0% plagioclase feldspar, 28% quartz, 25% potassium feldspar, 6% biotite, and 1% accessory minerals [Maldonaldo, 1977]. The Climax granite was taken from the 420-m level of a 140-mm-diameter, unoriented vertical drill core from the site of Heater Test I in the SFT-C mine at the Nevada Test Site [Patrick, 1986].…”

Section: Granite Petrographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal stress cracking in granite

Wang,

Bonner,

Carlson

et al. 1989

J. Geophys. Res.

178

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have developed a comprehensive experimental capability to study thermally induced microfractures in rock. We count acoustic emissions and measure compressional wave velocities while a sample is heated to a maximum temperature of 300°C under confining pressures up to 55 MPa. After a heating cycle we measure crack porosity and crack compressibility. We count the cracks under an SEM, sorting them by grain boundary and intragranular types and by mineral pair occurrence. Our observations reveal that (1) significant thermal cracking occurs in granites heated above 200° or 250°C under 28 and 55 MPa and above 100°C in granites heated under 7 MPa, (2) most newly created thermal cracks close at pressures below 40 MPa (1.5 km depth), (3) grain boundaries between quartz grains or between quartz and another mineral are preferentially cracked, (4) the threshold temperature for acoustic emissions is a positive, linear function of pressure, (5) total acoustic emission counts in Westerly granite heated to 300°C are slightly lower under 55 than 28 MPa confining pressure and are substantially lower under 28 than 7 MPa, (6) the compressional velocity decreases 22% as Westerly granite is heated to 300°C at 7 MPa, 15% at 28 MPa, and 10% at 55 MPa, and (7) greater hysteresis in compressional velocities occurs in samples heated at lower pressures. The acoustic emission counts in Westerly granite during heating show one or more peaks of activity as a function of temperature, with more peaks at lower pressures. We interpret this result to mean that additional crack populations are able to open at lower confining pressures. The curves of acoustic emission count rates can be fit by summing one to three Gaussian density functions.

show abstract

Section: Granite Petrographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal stress cracking in granite

Wang,

Bonner,

Carlson

et al. 1989

J. Geophys. Res.

178

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The composition of the porphyritic quartz-monzonite from the climax stock, Nevada, is 28 percent quartz, 25 percent potassium and/or sodium feldspar, 40 percent plagioclase feldspar, 6 percent biotite and 1-2 percent accessory minerals [Maldonado, 1977].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negligible effect of grain boundaries on the thermal conductivity of rocks

Vandersande¹,

Pohl²

1982

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The thermal conductivity of marble, gabbro, quartz‐monzonite, basalt and of labradorite was measured between 0.3 and 80 K. In all cases, the phonon mean free paths were found to increase with decreasing temperature, but even at the lowest temperatures, was far smaller than the average grain sizes. This demonstrates that phonon scattering by grain boundaries has very little influence on the heat transport in these rocks. Evidence is presented that lamellae due to twinning or exsolution, rod‐like large inclusions, and density fluctuations inside the grains mask the effect of grain boundaries.

show abstract

“…During Precambrian and Paleozoic time, as much as 10,000 meters (m) (32,800 feet [ft]) of marine sediments were deposited in the NNSS region (Cole 1997). The only surface exposure of Mesozoic-age rocks in the NNSS area are granitic intrusive masses, the Gold Meadows Stock north of Rainier Mesa (Gibbons et al 1963;Snyder 1977), and the Climax Stock located at the extreme north end of Yucca Flat (Barnes et al 1963;Maldonado 1977)…”

Section: A11 Physiographic/geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These rocks were severely deformed by compressional movements during Mesozoic time, which resulted in the formation of folds and thrust faults (e.g., Belted Range and CP thrust faults). During the middle Late Cretaceous, granitic bodies (such as the Climax stock in northern Yucca Flat) intruded these deformed rocks (Houser and Poole 1960;Maldonado 1977).…”

Section: A252 Yucca Flat/climax Mine Underground Test Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report 2012 Attachment A: Site Description

Wills¹

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary of the geology and physical properties of the Climax Stock, Nevada Test Site

Cited by 33 publications

References 0 publications

Thermal stress cracking in granite

Thermal stress cracking in granite

Negligible effect of grain boundaries on the thermal conductivity of rocks

Nevada National Security Site Environmental Report 2012 Attachment A: Site Description

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About