D.Belyashov, A.Tichshenko
Institute of Natural Sciences, Almaty, Kazakhstan
GEOETHICS PROBLEMS CAUSED BY UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
Abstract
Near two and a half milleniums ago Hippocrates
determined the main principle of medicine as non nocere (do not damage).
To our opinion this principle could be applied to geoethics as
well. From this point of view in the
report some problems of how nuclear explosions affected the conditions of geological
environment and ecological situation will be considered.
During several decades, a huge amount of underground nuclear explosions
(UNE) was conducted in different parts of the world. More of them were the
tests of nuclear weapons. Besides that, a series of the so-called “peaceful”
nuclear explosions took place to solve a number of national economic problems.
It is necessary to mark that in many cases planned tasks were
successfully solved. At the same time, after years in many regions some negative
consequences of UNE have appeared. The results of how UNE affects geological
environment were rather widely discussed in press. Some negative consequences
of UNE resulted in appearance of radionuclides and other contaminating
materials in the ground water and productive series and their crop out due to migration of radionuclides in
weak zones and forcing of radioactive contaminated solutions from the UNE
cavities after their collapsing.
Examples
of some negative consequences of Underground Nuclear Explosions are listed
below.
Galit Facility: gases
and radioactive ground dismissing from the cavities, appearance of “white”
fogs, ulcerating of the horse’s extremities, whitening of plants and insects,
and flooding of the cavities.
Vega Facility: decrease
in volume of the test cavities and their flooding, output of radioactive brines
on the surface, contamination of underground water. At a distance of two
kilometers from one of the test holes tritium was found in the water-bearing
horizon of mesokainozoic cover.
Grachevskoye
tritium appearance in the ground water at a distance up
to 3
Osinskoye radionuclides appearance in petroleum producing
facilities,
Deposit: dismissing of radioactive water.
Nevada Test Site: plutonium
migration in the bed water at a distance of 1.5 km from the epicenter of the
underground nuclear explosion.
Test Site: to
nuclear cavities; unexpected explosion in the Glubokaya hole; short and long
term variation of chemical contents of underground waters caused by UNE.
There are many other examples of how UNE negatively affects the
subsurface. Thusly, the main principle
of geoethics “non nocere” (do not
damage) was violated.
At the same time it has to be indicated that having highly enough level
of knowledge about the influence of nuclear explosions on the earth crust
condition it would be possible to exclude negative consequences in many cases.
The authors believe in the future development of atomic energy industry
and in high effectiveness of underground nuclear explosions conducting for
solving different economic problems.
To conduct underground nuclear explosions for economic purposes in the
future it is necessary to set up a geological and geophysical monitoring of the
sites where UNE were conducted. It will allow to study the processes caused by
UNE and to develop some methods of the process forecasting providing with
recommendations on security.
The main approaches to organize the monitoring of subsurface in the
places of UNE conducting will be given in the next chapter.
Objectives of the Subsurface Monitoring
Other
objectives of the monitoring could be an assessment of the subsurface status,
forecast of possible changes in subsurface, development of recommendations
about administrative measures to be undertaken by corresponding state
departments.
Assessment of Rock Conditions, Including Contamination by Harmful
Chemical and Radioactive Components
Assessment of rock conditions includes theoretical and experimental
research goes toward obtaining the data about the character of distribution of
physical, mechanical, geological and sorption features of rocks forming the
blocks where nuclear cavities are located.
Besides that, the assessment can involve geological and geophysical research
to provide charting of zones of possible ways of radionuclides migration to the
day surface (lithochemical research).
Express georadioecological charting can provide an assessment of
contamination by the main technological radionuclides (Cs137, Sr90, Pu239-241), gamma-spectrum research of bore holes, remote research are another
components of the rock assessment.
Research of Dangerous Geological Processes
·
Epeirogenous processes
According to
B.Golubev, the author of a number of publications concerning nuclear test
sites, one of the reasons why cavities of Vega facilities are collapsing is
low-temperature deformation of massive rock in the area of unstable
tenses. The tenses come from the
changes of the Caspian Sea level that caused by earth oscillations. According to preliminary estimates in 10-30
years the territory with Lira facilities will have the same phase of
epeirogenous oscillations as Vega facilities had during its cavities
collapsing.
Analysis of the
dynamics of sea level using height marks on the large territory will allow
obtaining of precise assessment. For
this purpose can serve the results of measurements made on geo-dynamical areas
by high-precise satellite systems.
Another way to estimate dynamics of the earth crust is to analyze a
rhythmic of bottom deposits of lakes.
·
Influence of solar and moon flows on
the status of nuclear cavities.
Possible
influence of the solar and moon flows on the status of nuclear cavities and
changes of gamma activity in this connection was marked by L.Pevzner. This hypothesis was proved by receiving a
close correlation between the solar and moon cycles and time changes of
intensity of gamma field along the section of some test-holes and observing
holes at Lira facilities.
·
Assessment of tectonic tension of
the earth block contained nuclear cavity.
Tectonic
tension involves both natural and industrial (oil extraction etc.)
activity. To estimate the tectonic
tension method of passive seismic surveying could be used.
·
Assessment of after explosion
processes of epigenetic mineral formation (hydration of anhydride etc.)
·
Assessment of after explosion
radio-chemical processes .
According to the data obtained by
Murzadilov, each cavity of the Lira facility isolated 300 kilograms of
chlorine.
Assessment of subsurface conditions and status of storage facilities
The complex assessment of subsurface
conditions and status of storage facilities includes assessment of morphology
of nuclear cavities carried out by acoustic geomethods and an estimation of the
status of hydroisolation of the cavities and radionuclide contamination. Besides, it is appropriate to conduct a 3D
charting of physical and mechanical transgression of rock blocks. Studying of structural and tectonic features
of geological environment of the cavity can help to find possible ways of
migration of contaminated materials. In
addition, it is necessary to study hydrodynamics of radio-contamination of
open-end water-bearing zones of broken tectonics and centers of their
relaxation into water bearing horizons of the over dome structural level. Moreover, it is necessary to assess
technological condition and protection of pipes of the cavities.
Forecasting changes of the subsurface is a final task
of the proposed monitoring. The task
can be solved by developing of a special complex 3D dynamical model that will
determine both structural and tectonic fluid-dynamical regimes of the block of
the earth crust, which contains nuclear cavities. The model is based on the
data obtained during observation of subsurface conditions that involve
information about geological structure, physical and chemical features of water
and rocks, and information about character of current natural and industrial
processes.