Investigation and evaluation of the Gorleben site: a status report Original Research Article

The Gorleben salt dome is envisaged for the emplacement of all types of radioactive waste (total activity about 1021 Bq, α activity about 1019 Bq) at a depth of about 840–1200 m. Site investigations have been under way since 1979. The scientific basis for site investigations and respective planning and performance assessment are models which explain the present situation at the site as a result of the dynamic processes in the past. The assessed long-term consequences of the disposal system are indicators of safety, which characterise the overall system and subsystems in different time frames. The investigation of the safety indicators `flux through barriersʹ and `timeʹ proved a past isolation potential of the salt dome for fluid phases of 250 million years.