Ruby Williamson

Rock erosion during cold climates of the next 1 million years: risk assessment for siting a UK Geological Disposal Facility

Name: Ruby Williamson
Primary Supervisor: Dr. Rachel Smedley
Year: 1
Discipline: Geography and Geology
Presentation type: 3 Minute Talk
Project Title: Rock erosion during cold climates of the next 1 million years: risk assessment for siting a UK Geological Disposal Facility

Abstract:

A UK Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) will be located in bedrock at depths up to a 1000 m, but the access infrastructure that will be backfilled will extend to the surface; therefore, the impacts of erosion down to 1000 m depths must be considered for each UK GDF site. Rock surface erosion (i.e. denudation) relates to all of the geological processes that work to reduce the Earth’s surface, both in terms of elevation and relief. This project will use a new, state-of-the art luminescence erosion-meter (Smedley et al. 2021) to derive rock surface erosion rates on unprecedented length and time scales. Rock samples for testing and analyses will be collected from locations identified by community partners to potentially host the UK GDF (e.g. Cumbria) and will be assessed for their different contexts: host bedrock, cold climate conditions.