Opportunities for Geomicrobiological Characterization and Experimentation During DUSEL Site Selection and Development

1
Opportunities for Geomicrobiological
Characterization and Experimentation During DUSEL
Site Selection and DevelopmentProtoEarthLab?

• Tom Kieft, New Mexico Tech
• Tommy J. Phelps, ORNL

2
Drilling and coring at undeveloped candidate
DUSEL sites

• Opportunity for detailed characterization of
• Stratigraphy, rock mechanics
• Mineralogy, groundwater chemistry
• Biodiversity, biomass, metabolic activities
• Targets
• maximum depth, ancient groundwaters
• heterogeneities geological contacts, interfaces,
  fractures
• Need tracers for QA/QC (modest additional cost)
• Solute e.g., LiBr, perfluorinated hydrocarbons,
  fluorochromes
• Particulate e.g., fluorescent microbeads
• Borehole can also be used for geophysical
  characterization
• Data can be used to inform site selection and
  development

3
Opportunities at sites with existing underground
infrastructure
Opportunities at sites with existing underground
infrastructure

• Horizontal coring into green fields, rock
  volumes that may be targeted for infrastructure
  development
• Sample from existing flowing boreholes
• Deep coring through the 121C isotherm - to probe
  the limits of the biosphere
• Coupled transport experiments in mines with
  extensive tunnel systems
• Geomicrobiological studies can start in the near
  term at modest cost.

4
Funding mechanisms?

• S2 And S3
• Individual NSF grants
• Institutions associated with candidate sites
• Boreholes already planned or proposed
• Piggy-back onto exploratory boreholes
• other?