Granite nuclear waste deposit

2003/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Several geologists study granite to discover how to manage nuclear waste.

Granite is formed as magma slowly solidifies. Geologists doubted that granite would suffer the heat of these radioactive waste. In fact, granite was thought to be partially melted and subsequently quickly solidified into an unstable crystal structure. But so far no one measured that cooling speed.

However, research conducted by British geologists has shown the possibility of burying the nuclear waste in granite tombs, despite its rapid cooling, as the mixture of waste and granite forms a stable structure. However, the process is irreversible and this carries risks. In fact, if in the future there is a problem, with this waste there is nothing to do, granite cannot be separated from the waste, even if a better possibility of accumulating it develops.