interview with geoscientist on Yucca Mountain project

[jrtom]

About "the technical nature of nuclear waste storage and what it means, on the level of geological engineering, to quarantine a hazardous material for more than one million years": http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/million-years-of-isolation-interview.html

One thing that came up in this interview that I'm ashamed to admit never occurred to me before: the US is not the only entity that has explored this problem in detail.

Anyway, it's a fascinating (if longish) interview and well worth reading if you're interested in some of the practical details and some of the questions that they've asked and answered.

Comments

Deep time

[fdmts.livejournal.com]

Haven't read the link yet, but your description reminds me of the book Deep Time.

One of the core questions they explore is "how do you mark 'danger' on something in such a way that it will read as anything other than 'valuable treasure here' as soon as your civilization collapses?'"

Re: Deep time

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Which in turn (not coincidentally) reminds me of the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, Don't Dig Here (http://www.metrolyrics.com/dont-dig-here-lyrics-crosby-nash.html).

Another thing I think is interesting about my history with this issue is that most of the discussion that I've seen around it--until I saw this interview--was actually about this notification problem. I haven't read _Deep Time_, but I've read either an excerpt or one of the writings that came out of the project that led to the book.

I am, incidentally, amused (if not terribly surprised) that the second most popular item among Amazon customers after seeing _Deep Time_ is _Anathem_. (And at some point I really need to lay my hands on a copy of _Clock of the Long Now_...preferably inscribed on a series of corrosion-resistant metal plates.)