International Perspectives of Geo-Hydrological and Geo-Mechanical Research at a Proposed U.S. Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL)

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The establishment of a Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) is currently under consideration. The US still lacks access to a comprehensive long-term deep underground laboratory. In the fields of geo-hydrology and geo-mechanics, significant gains have resulted from in situ research conducted in existing underground facilities despite the limited longevity of these facilities and the absence of broad access across the research community.In September 2002, a workshop was held to identify research areas of value to the nation that could be conducted at a DUSEL. The American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA) Foundation contributed to this project by holding a preliminary workshop to identify research needs for geo-engineering and rock mechanics for consideration at the NUSL workshop. This project, International Perspectives of Geo-Hydrological and Geo-Mechanical Research at a Proposed U.S. Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, is to conduct an international workshop designed to augment and refine the research agenda. The workshop, to be held in cooperation with the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, will be convened at the 10 th quadrennial congress of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) in September 2003 in South Africa. The workshop will invite practitioner experts from underground research laboratories around the world. The goals are to identify research needs and opportunities from an international perspective and to refine the scope of proposed activities at a proposed deep underground research laboratory that will complement current international activities, rather than duplicate them.Current views for the conduct of activities at DUSEL will be presented at the workshop by the US delegates. International delegates will present overviews of current research needs and activities from the variety of underground research facilities around the world. The outcome of this one-day caucus will be synthesized into a final report and made available on the ARMA Web site.This project will advance the field of geo-engineering and rock mechanics by identifying for consideration needed research to be undertaken at the DUSEL. An international perspective will be obtained through participation of researchers from other underground research facilities around the world. International collaboration among researchers from the geo-engineering and geo-sciences areas will advance knowledge and understanding across disciplines.This project, put in the broader context of the realization of a DUSEL, will give unprecedented opportunities for educators, students, and researchers to obtain field experiences and to carry out complex projects under field conditions. Results of research carried out at the DUSEL could potentially have direct impacts on issues of national importance through a better understanding of how rock behaves. These areas include resource exploration and production, national security issues, environmental considerations, and civil infrastructure systems through advances in tunneling and excavation technologies.