The radwaste repository consists of a multi-barrier, including natural and engineered barriers. The repository’s long-term safety is ensured by using the isolation and delay functions of the multi-barrier. Among them, natural barriers are difficult to artificially improve and have a long time scale. Therefore, in order to evaluate its performance, site characteristics should be investigated for a sufficient period using various analytical methods. Natural barriers are classified into lithological and structural characteristics and investigated. Structural factors such as fractures, faults, and joints are very important in a natural barrier because they can serve as a flow path for groundwater in performance evaluation. Considering the condition that the radioactive waste repository should be located in the deep part, the drill core is an important subject that can identify deep geological properties that could not be confirmed near the surface. However, in many previous studies, a unified method has not been used to define the boundaries of structural factors. Therefore, it is necessary to derive a method suitable for site characteristics by applying and comparing the boundary definition criteria of various structural factors to boreholes. This study utilized the 1,000 m deep AH-3 and DB-2 boreholes and the 500 m deep AH-1 and YS- 1 boreholes drilled around the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) site. Methods applied to define the brittle structure boundary include comparing background levels of fracture and fracture density, excluding sections outside the zone of influence of deformation, and confining the zone to areas of concentrated deformation. All of these methods are analyzed along scanlines from the brittle structure. Deriving a site-specific method will contribute to reducing the uncertainties that may arise when analyzing the long-term evolution of brittle structures within natural barriers.

A methodology is under development to reconstruct and predict the long-term evolution of the natural barrier comprising the site of radioactive waste disposal. The natural barrier must protect the human zone from radionuclides for a long time. So for this, we need to be able to restore the evolution of the bedrock constituting the natural barrier from the past to the present and to predict from the present to the future. A methodology is being studied using surface outcrop, tunnel face of KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel), and drill core at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). Among them, drill core is an essential material for identifying deep geological properties, which could not be confirmed near the surface when considering the geological condition of the repository in the deep part. In this study, we selected several qualitative and quantitative analyses to construct a deep lithological model from the disposal perspective. These were applied to drill core samples around the KURT. There are the dikes presumed the Cretaceous were intruded by Jurassic granitoids in the study area. Analyzing trace elements of each rock type in the study area classified through geochemical characteristics and microstructure in previous studies made it possible to obtain qualitative information on the petrogenetic process. In addition, synthesizing the quantitative numerical age allows for grasping the evolution of bedrock, including intrusion and cutting relationships. LAICPMS was used for determining the age of zircons in plutonic rocks. The highly reliable 40Ar-39Ar method was selected for volcanic rocks because it can correct the loss of Ar gas and obtain the values of two types of Ar isotopes in a single sample. As a result, it was possible to infer the formation environment of rocks through anomalies in specific trace element content. And according to the numerical ages, it was possible to support the known separated rock type found in previous studies or to present a quantitative precedence relation for unclassified rocks. These methods could be applied to reconstruct the long-term evolution of bedrock within natural barriers.

A methodology is under development to restore and predict the long-term evolution of the natural barrier comprise the site of radioactive waste disposal for surface geological outcrop, tunnel face and drill core. Considering the condition that the radioactive waste repository should be located in the deep part, the drill core is an important subject that can identify deep geological properties that could not be confirmed near the surface. In this study, we investigated proper age dating methods to construct lithological model of the disposal site with regard to the long-term safety. Also, preliminary age dating locations were selected using the lithological distribution results by depth through geochemical and micro-structural analysis for the deep drill cores excavated around KURT. In the study area, the dikes presumed the Cretaceous were intruded by Jurassic granites. As for the granotoids, U-Pb age dating for zircon, which is resistant to deformation or metamorphism and has loss, is often used. In the case of the dikes, K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar age dating for the argon captured in the rocks after magmatism is often used. Through U-Pb zircon ages of KURT site granotoids, we expect to solve the clustering problem (granite and granodiorite), which is different from precious chemical analysis (XRF) results and TAS-diagrams. 40Ar/39Ar age dating to be used for the dikes is suitable for the perspective of lithological model of the disposal site. Because, it can compensate for accuracy problems such as sample heterogeneity in K-Ar age dating and is used for volcanic rocks. In the further study, we plan to determine the appropriate sampling locations by the selected age dating methods from the perspective of disposal in this study.

Awn, one of the domestication-related traits in rice might play an important role in seed dispersal. In a previous study, one major QTL, awn8 was detected on chromosome 8 using 120 RILs and 62 ILs derived from a cross between Hwayeongbyeo and O. rufipogon Griff. (Acc. W1944). We developed 140 BC1F3, 341 BC1F4 and 1533 BC1F5 plants from selfing of one plant selected from former generation. Each of selected plant was Hwayeongbeyo/W1944 heterozygous in the target region of chromosome 8. The Target marker(RM256) significantly linked to awn8 explained 60.3% of the total phenotypic variance in BC1F4 generations and the W1944 allele increased awn length. Using several substitution mapping, The awn8 QTL could be narrow down to the interval between RM23338-RM5485, with a distance of about 85.29kb. Total of ten genes were predicted in this region. At the same time, 34 BC3F5 lines were developed as the diverse NILs on chromosme 8. Using these NILs, One QTL for primary branch was detected in the target region and W1944 allele increased branch number. Characterization of the awn8 QTL would contribute the understanding of rice domestication and evolution and additional experiment would be need to be clarified whether awn8 and pb8 was due to linkage drag of independent genes or pleiotropic effect of the same gene.