Quarterly Report to the Harry Reid Center

UCCSN-DOE Cooperative Agreement

Task ORD-FY04-006: Seismic Monitoring

PI: James N. Brune

UNR Seismological Laboratory

Report Period: 04/01/2004 – 06/30/2004

 

Progress:

 

During this reporting period (Apr.-Jun. 2004), we have maintained seismic operations with 30 real-time SGBDSN stations under the QA procedures that have been established with the HRC.  Network uptime has been 99.8% over the three months.

 

As of this reporting date (01/08/2004), we have nearly completed analysis of the earthquakes in the YM vicinity through June 30.  The largest event which occurred in this past quarter within the SGBDSN monitoring area was only M 2.8.

 

The draft of the report on the FY2003 seismic activity in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain was completed and submitted for review.  Comment resolution is in progress. 

 

A draft report on the preliminary observations with accelerometers at three boreholes on the ESF pad has been reviewed; comment resolution is in progress.

 

A Software Definition Report for the kappa determination software has been completed.  Software qualification reports ((LLR) on three programs (REF2ORB, DBPICK, DBOC2) have been reviewed and are in the comment resolution stage. 

 

The ESF seismic instrumentation at three locations in the tunnel (Alcove 5, ECRB Niche 5, and at the east end of the strainmeter) have been installed.  Each site includes 3-component weak-motion and strong-motion sensors.  A significant day-skip timing problem still exists and is under study by the vendor.

 

We have received approval to conduct refraction microtremor surveys at 8 additional sites, with several more pending.  Field work is scheduled for mid-July.

 

Purchase orders have been placed for $72K of equipment to be used in a workscope next fiscal year (install sites above the ESF monitoring locations and upgrade 3 strong-motion sites).  This equipment purchase results from a budget revision done in June. 

 

 

Problems:

 

The delay in permitting sites for the Refraction-Microtremor (ReMi) surveys has delayed our schedule for doing this work until mid-July.  We foresee difficulty in completing these surveys and processing the data in time for results to flow into the kappa report such that it can be finalized by September.

 

Multiple delays in the work orders for concrete pouring at the TCO data shack for a telemetry antenna mast and at UZ-16 for solar panels and the antenna mast is delaying our installations there. We anticipate that we will be unable to complete these installations during this fiscal year if the work orders are executed any later than July.

 

The kappa software QA effort is behind schedule and may impact our ability to deliver this report by the end of the fiscal year.

 

 

Status of Funds:

 

As of 6/30/2004, we had expended $1225K on Task 6.  This represents 71% of the total appropriated, $1727, whereas a linear drawdown of funds would be 75% after 9 months.  We anticipate spending out nearly the full amount by September 30 due to summer field work expenses. 

 

 

Plans:

 

In the next quarter (Jul.-Sep.) we plan to begin data acquisition on a limited number of the ESF 10-Hz geophones.  We plan to install the power system and the recording equipment at UZ-16 and hook up geophones in the well for a shakedown of the recording system.  We plan to install a telemetry antenna at the TCO data shack and to occupy the small building on top of Little Skull Mountain which has been allocated to us.

 

We will complete and deliver the report on the FY2003 seismicity in the vicinity of YM and the report on preliminary findings at the borehole accelerometer array on the ESF pad.

 

We intend to finish the software qualification for the two programs needed in the kappa project this coming quarter and produce the final kappa computations.  We will complete as many ReMi surveys as possible, dependent on approval of work at the sites.