Seismic reflection evidence against a shallow detachment beneath Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Intermediate-depth seismic reflection profile across Crater Flat and Yucca Mountain is obtained. The aim of the seismic profiling are discrimination the subsurface geometry of faults and imaging of the boundary between the pre-Tertiary sedimentary strata and the Miocene volcanic rocks of Yucca Mountain. Of major interest is the existence and geometry of a postulated west-dipping detachment fault beneath Yucca Mountain. These reflection profiles provide critical input to efforts to evaluate tectonic models, probabilistic seismic hazards, and potential volcanic hazards near Yucca Mountain, site of investigations for a potential permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste.