Evaluation of Permain salt deposits in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma for underground storage of radioactive wastes

This report concludes that thick salt deposits of the Palo Duro basin, and, to a lesser extent, those of the Dalhart basin, have many features that would be favorable for underground storage of radioactive waste. The principal parameters used in evaluating these basins for radioactive-waste storage include salt thickness, depth, tectonic and seismic history, lithology, permeability, proximity to aquifers, mineral-resource content, extent of drilling and mining, and remoteness. Properties of salt (halite) that make it desirable as host rock for underground waste emplacement include its low permeability, low moisture content, high plasticity, and high gamma-ray shielding. A thickness of 200 feet of salt-bearing rock is herein considered minimal for insuring isolation of waste material that is buried 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the surface. Emplacement of radioactive-waste products can be accomplished by forming an underground cavern in a salt bed, using standard mining techniques. By creating the cavern about 1,000 to 3,000 feet below the surface, and by backfilling and sealing the cavern after the waste is emplaced, the radioactive material can be effectively isolated. The Permian salt deposits in about 50,000 square miles of the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma were studied to determine whether the region contained any areas that might be suitable for waste storage. No comprehensive study of the salts in this region had been done previously. A major part of this project involved a study of electric logs and some sample logs for about 300 wells drilled in the region. The results of this geologic study are presented on plates 1 through 8 (in the pocket), and these data are also generalized in a series of figures in the text and show the general character, thickness, distribution, depth, and structure of the salt deposits.