Respect distances. Rationale and means of computation

Canisters with spent nuclear fuel can obviously not be located within deformation zones as this might jeopardise their long term mechanical stability and thereby constitute a potential hazard to the biosphere. Less apparent, but equally important, is the fact that earthquakes trigger reactivation, slip, of structures some distance from their hypocentres due to, among many other factors, stress redistribution. Fault slip across a deposition hole might damage the isolation capacity of the canister and thereby jeopardise the overall integrity of the barrier system. Therefore, the following question might be posed: What is the distance from a deformation zone beyond which a canister can be safely emplaced? This respect distance cannot be readily computed because, unknown future events aside, there are some complicated aspects that need to be addressed e.g. degree of conservatism, scale, our ability to model ice sheets and earthquakes, etc. In this report we discuss various aspects of the assignment of respect distances, propose a methodology for its assignment and apply the methodology to the Forsmark Site as a worked example. Our main concern, in the context discussed in this report, is the post glacial faults anticipated to occur after the next glaciations. To properly address conservativeness, analysis of risk, and its implementation in safety analysis, we provide an extensive compilation of our current knowledge on post glacial faults as an appendix