ML20235B675

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Forwards Questions Re Geological/Seismological & Design Aspects of Bodega Bay Reactor for Use by ACRS
ML20235B675
Person / Time
Site: 05000000, Bodega Bay
Issue date: 02/12/1964
From:
US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
To: Kouts H
Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards
Shared Package
ML20234A767 List: ... further results
References
FOIA-85-665 NUDOCS 8709240186
Download: ML20235B675 (6)
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February 12,196k p . z =S Dr. Herbert Kouts Chaiman, Advisory Co=:Littee en Reactor Safeguards U. S. Atomic Energy Commission Washington 25, D. C.

Dear Dr. Kouts :

Transmitted herewith for the use of the. Ccamittee are eighteen copies of questions conceming certain 6;eological-seismological and design aspects of the Bodega Bay reactor.

Sincerely yours ,

Director Division of Licensing and Fegulation Enclosures :

As stated above i

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QUESTIONS RE BODEGA f p

h The basic issue to be considered is whether and to what I extent there is a likelihood of differential' ground motion,

" faulting", occurring during a future earthquake in the bed-  ;

rock or sedhnentary layers which would underlay the proposed reactor facility at the Bodega Head site. The following questions are among those relevant to the. basic issue:

A. On the bedrock at Bodega:

1. What is the age of the bedrock?
2. At what tLme was the bedrock first covered by sedi-mentary layers?
3. What significance is attached to the extensive faults on Bodega:

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a. What is the significance of the orientation of bedrock faults?
b. What is the age of the bedrock faults?
c. Are any bedrock faults younger than others? How is this determined?
4. Is the bedrock fault significantly different in any way from others in the excavation or elsewhere on -

Bodega?

a. What was the cause of "the" bedrock fault?

', l b. Was "the" bedrock fault occasioned by one or by

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many different movements? - Evidence?

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c. Can the extent of (a) lateral movement; (b) verti-cal movement in "the" bedrock fault be estimated?
d. Can the age of the most recent movement along "the" bedrock shaft be determined?
e. Did "the" bedrock fault move in the 1906 carth-quake? How much movement may there have been, with the observational facts before us as they now )

1 are?

5. In another 1906 type earthquake, what is the likelihood of movement of (a) 1"'or less; (b) 1-2 feet; (c)7 5 feet i d

on (1) "the" shaft fault in bedrock, (2) other bedfock l faults under the proposed reactor site, (3) elsewhere j on Bodega.

1 B. On the Sedimentary Layers at Bodega:

tl. What is the age of the successive layers of sediment )

on Bodega? How is this determined? l

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2. What is the relationship (location) between "the" bed- I i ,

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rock shaft fault and the shaft fault in the overlying ,

i ef sediments.

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3. Assuming that the sediment offset was tectonic in -

1 origin, did it occur all at one time or in several I L

.j separate movements and what were the horizontal and vertical displacements; what are the reasons for f the opinion held? l

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4. What evidence exists for: (a) tectonic origin of the i

sediment offset; (b) non-earthquake origin of the sedi-ment offset; (c) for " smearing" of the original offset (however caused) by non-earthquake ph;2nomena?

5. What is the age of the sediment fault in years: A few '

hundred years; a few thousand years; greater than 40 thousand years; greater than a half million years?

What is evidence for this in (a) location of offset in sediment layers; (b) color banding of mineral layers; (c) other, ,

6. What is significance of the age of the sediment fault, to likelihood and magnitude of possible future earth-  !

quakes?.

7. How much lateral movement in the bedrock within the last 100 years could be accommodated by overlying sedi-ments without now being observable in the sediments?
8. How much dispicccment could occur in the bedrock at Bodega Head without rupturing the surface of the sedi-ments?

C. Significance of Pt. Reyes Observations:

1. How far away from (1) the 1906 trace in the San Andreas fault zone and (2) the western boundary of the zone did

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surface ruptures occur at Point Reyes.as_a result.

l of. the 1906 earthquake? '

2..'What was the amount of displacement (1) in the bedrock l l

and (2) in the overlying sediments of ruptures which occurred in 1906 at Point Reyes outside the main _

San Andreas fault zone?

. 3. What.was the cause of these ruptures?

4. Did all of the 1906 ruptures outside the main fault line at Point Reyes apparently occur along previous fault lines and, if not, how many did?
5. What was the estimated time of movement along these i previous fault lines prior to 1906?
6. In regard to the likelihood of ruptures in the bedrock and ruptures in the sediments, what are the significant differences and similarities between Point Reyes and Bodega Head?
7. What is the probability of a rupture of the near surface granitic rock in the Bodega excavation should a 1906 earthquake recur in the vicinity of Bodega Head?

D. Questions fo_r Reactor Designers:

1. What maximum displacement of the bedrock will the reactor facility be designed to accommodate' safely?

. 2. What is the maximum displacement'in the bedrock

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5- i that the reactor facility could be designed to accommodate safely.

3. What would be the extent of the damage to the facility if a rupture several feet of the near surface granitic rock at the reactor site should occur?
4. What are the estimated off-site consequences if a rupture of several feet of the near surface granitic rock at the reactor site should occur?

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Lu Watters, Box 68 Cetati, California.

, Febraury 12, 1964.

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Members of the Atonio Biergy Commission:

1 When the Pacific Gas and Electrie Company was feverishly digging the hole on ,

3edean Head you stood silently hr and estohed this expensive shovel work proooed step by step. No words of emeenragement from you. 70 words of oaution. Just silence

! as costs mounted and the hole deepened. j(

l P Considering that ne construction permit had been issued for the nuclear, this was a strange game for two grounup organizations to be playing. All this scene laaksd was a few of Hitchcock's duasy birds roosting in the background.

What was the reason for your silence and your inertia? Were you waiting for a L T's message from outer space? Or were you waiting for P.G.&E. to stop believing their-own press releases? Or could it be that the " gray areas" in your elastic by-laws left you tongue-tied while this million dollar comedy was being enacted?

Now that the lhtited States Geological Survey report has punctured P.G.&E's

^ l bag of hot air about Bodega Hesd e I have' strong feeling that P.G&B. will ooneen- ,

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==r==m=rr*h=xpah11xx trate on selling the public the fallacy that " modern engineering" will guarantee foolproof safety if a nuclear plant is located close i

to the San Andreas fault sone. You should remind P.G.&E. that a fundamental rule I of modern engineering, when locating a dam, a bridge, or a nuclear plant is to pick a safe site rather than a highly questionable one.

Sincerely,

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'2han the Pacific Gas and Electric Company was feverishly digging the hole on

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3odega Eend you stocd silently by and watched this expensive shovel work proceed step l I

by step. No words of encouragement from you. No words of caution. Just silence as costs counted and the hole deepened.

Considering th.t no construction permit had been issued for the nuclear plcnt, this was a strange gr.ce for ttio grownup organizations to be playing. All this scene lacked was a few of Hitchcock's du my birds roosting in the background.

What e.2s the reason for your silence and your inertia? Jere you waiting for a r.essage fron outer space? Or were you waiting for P.G.&3. to stop believing its own press relcasos? Or could it be that the " gray areas" in your elastic by-laws left you tongue-tied while this million-dollar conedy was being enacted?

Now that the United States Geological Survey report has punctured P.G.E's bag a

of hot air abot Bodega Head, I have a strong feeling that P.G.C. will concentrate cn solling the public the fallacy that " modern engineering" will guarantee foolproof safety if a nuclear plant is located close to the San Andreas fault zone. You should reiwi ?.G.E. that a fundamental rule of modern engineering, when locating a dan, a bridge , or a nuclear plant, is to pick a safe site rather than a highly question-Lble one.

Sincerely,

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