Core study of Rustler Formation over the WIPP [Waste Isolation Pilot Project] site

The core study was conducted to provide parameters for the thermomechanical modeling of the behavior of the Rustler Formation in response to heating. The study characterizes the various members and units of the Rustler Formation in terms of physical properties, distribution, internal discontinuities, and boundary effects. The principal features are results of the original deposition, diagenetic changes which the rocks have undergone, and the strain history of the rocks since deposition. Special attention has been paid to the extent to which the formation is fractured and the nature of fractures so that some estimate can be made of the potential for these discontinuities to be the locus of further strain. 39 refs., 13 figs., 4 tabs