Fossil spring deposits in the southern Great Basin and their implications for changes in water-table levels near Yucca Mountain, Nevada, during Quaternary time

Fossil spring deposits are common in the southern Great Basin, and their distribution provides important constraints on the hydrologic response of the regional water table to climate change. This information is crucial, because the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain will be located approx 200-400 m above the modern water table. Water tables will rise in response to a future return to glacial climates, but the magnitude of the change - and the consequences for radionuclide travel times and overall repository integrity - are key uncertainties. At Yucca Mountain, the water table has probably changed by = or 115 m in response to climate change. (from Authors)