Microtectonics, deformation mechanisms and rheology of surface reaching salt extrusions, decoration of salt microstructures by gamma-irradiation
Final Report Abstract
The goal of this project was to build and certify a new Gamma-irradiation facility for use at Nuclear Research Reactor in Munich (FRMII), for irradiation to very high doses at temperatures up to 150 ºC. Applying this method for rocksalts provides a much better understanding of the deformation mechanisms of rock salt occurring in nature. The building and TÜV certification of the gamma-irradiation container took more than 3 years to be completed, delaying the project of same duration. This resulted from technical problems encountered by people at nuclear reactor in Munich during the building and testing phase of the instrument, because of a container leak due to a human mistake. The gamma-irradiation container is now operational at the FRM II (Munich). We get the opportunity to make an irradiation with a between inspection of samples during irradiation that allowed to replace and change some samples within the container. With this procedure, we were able to obtain samples irradiated both with different dose rates and total doses but at same temperature in order to optimize next irradiations and check if achieved irradiation reproduce comparable results from our previous expertise with gammy irradiation at Jülich nuclear reactor. This first series of gamma-irradiation at the nuclear reactor in Munich included mainly naturally deformed samples from German underground mine (Schaft II, Merkers, Thuringia,Germany) and Iranian extruded salt glacier (Kuh-e-Namak salt glacier, Zagros, Iran). Therefore, in our experiments, high gamma dose rate can be used to decorate salt microstructures with success. The advantage of using higher gamma dose rate is reducing the irradiation time for same received total gamma dose and, then resulting in potential less irradiation costs.Samples from the Kuh-e-Namak salt glacier was investigated in details in collaboration with Dr.ProkopZavada(Institute of Geophysics ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic) to study the role of solid second phases on the deformation mechanisms and the rheology of salt glacier. The gamma-irradiation container is now the shared property of FRM II (Munich) and GED Institute at RWTH Aachen Universiy. The gamma-irradiation container is ready to be used for next gamma-irradiation experiments.
Publications
- (2012). On the distribution and morphology of grain boundary fluids in natural rock salt. 14th Symposium on Tectonics, Structural Geology and Geology of Crystalline Rocks, 28th-30th March 2012
Schmatz J., Sadler M., Desbois G., Urai J.L.
- (2013). Deformation mechanisms and constitutive behaviour during long-term creep of evaporates. Salt clubworkshop, 5-7-September 2013, Braunschweig, Germany
Desbois G., Li S., Strozyk F., Abe S., van Gent H., Schmatz J., Kukly P., Urai J.L.
- (2013). Fluids and fluid migration in salt. Salt club workshop, 5-7-September 2013, Braunschweig, Germany
Urai J.L., Kukla P., Desbois G., Schmatz J., Sadler M., Schléder Z., Schönherr J.
- (2013). Internal dynamics of salt structures. Salt club workshop, 5-7-September 2013, Braunschweig, Germany
Urai J.L., Kukla P., Strozyk F., van Gent H., Abe S., Li, S., Desbois G., Schönherr J., Schlèder Z., Reuning L., Becker S.
- (2014). Deformation mechanisms and constitutive behaviour during long-term creep of evaporates. In natural analogue for safety cases of repositories in rock salt. Salt club workshop proceedings, 5-7-September 2013, Braunschweig, Germany. NEA/RWM/R(2013)10: 105-122
Desbois G., Li S., Strozyk F., Abe S., van Gent H., Schmatz J., Kukla P., Urai J.L.
- (2014). Fluids and fluid migration in salt.In natural analogue for safety cases of repositories in rock salt. Salt club workshop proceedings, 5-7-September 2013, Braunschweig, Germany. NEA/RWM/R(2013)10: 133-146
Urai J.L., Kukla P., Desbois G., Schmatz J., Sadler M., Schléder Z., Schönherr J.
- (2014). Internal dynamics of salt structures.In natural analogue for safety cases of repositories in rock salt. Salt club workshop proceedings, 5-7-September 2013, Braunschweig, Germany. NEA/RWM/R(2013)10: 197-204
Urai J.L., Kukla P., Strozyk F., van Gent H., Abe S., Li, S., Desbois G., Schönherr J., Schlèder Z., Reuning L., Becker S.
- (2014). Rheological stratification of the Hormuz Salt Formation in Iran - microstructural study of the dirty and pure rock salts from the Kuh-e-Namak (Dashti) salt diaper. EGU General Assembly. Geophysical Research Abstracts 14, pp. EGU2014-14032
Zavada P., Desbois G., Urai J.L., Schullman K., Rahmati M., Lexa O., Wollenberg U
- (2014). The tracking of elusive fluids in natural rocksalts: the key for understanding the interplay between deformation mechanisms in salt diapiric systems. Geofluid 3, Nature and Dynamics of Fluids in Subduction Zones Symposium (Tokyo, Japan): February 28 (Fri.) to March 3 (Mon.), 2014
Desbois G., Urai J.L., Zavada P., De Bresser J.H.P
