Interdisciplinary geoscientific approach to radioactive waste repository site selection: the Březový potok site, southwestern Czech Republic

Abstract

Interpretation of the deep geological and tectonic setting is a key step for safety assessment of the potential sites for a deep geological repository of radioactive waste. However, the conventional geological mapping is difficult in the agricultural landscape with lacking rock outcrops. To address this task, we combined geological and hydrogeological mapping, morphostructural analysis and geophysical methods to construct a new geological map and a 3D model of the Březový potok site in the southwestern Czech Republic. They provide unique constraints for the understanding of the subsurface geological and tectonic architecture. The results are compared with the archive geological data and the usefulness of individual geophysical methods to detect the lithological contacts and tectonic zones is discussed. We present this multi-disciplinary research strategy as a workflow for detailed geological characterization, which can be successfully applied on other sites with similar geological environment.

Keywords

• radioactive waste repository siting
• geological mapping
• hydrogeology
• morphostructural analysis
• geophysical survey
• 3d geological model