KARST AT THE WIPP SITE

                          PHOTOGRAPHS FROM DOCTORAL DISSERTATION OF RICHARD HAYES PHILLIPS:
                      "PROSPECTS FOR REGIONAL GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION DUE TO KARST LANDFORMS
                          IN MESCALERO CALICHE AT THE WIPP SITE NEAR CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO"

     FAR LEFT:  A solution pipe in Mescalero caliche, 3 to 9 feet long, 72 inches deep, penetrated by numerous
     mesquite roots, floored by Dewey Lake Redbeds, in section 30.  The caliche flanks dip precipitously, and
     are overlain by 7 to 9 inches of caliche pebbles and powder.

     LEFT CENTER:  Two depressions floored by Mescalero caliche, 49 and 52 inches deep, averaging 5 feet and
     3.25 feet in length, respectively, in section 30.  The hardpan is mostly gone, leaving widely separated
     caliche remnants exposed in the trench.

     RIGHT CENTER:  A “flower-pot structure” floored by Mescalero caliche, 43 inches deep, almost perfectly
     round, at least 4.25 feet in diameter, in section 30.  Its flanks are nearly vertical; infiltrating
     rainwater runs along the plugged horizon and collects in the bottom of the flower-pot structure.
     A mesquite bush thrives at this location, and some of its roots penetrate the caliche.

     FAR RIGHT:  A trench exposure 60 feet long, in section 30, featuring six small holes in Mescalero caliche,
     12 to 14 inches in diameter, with flanks ranging from gentle to precipitious, often penetrated by roots.
     A smooth, continuous, impervious caliche surface cannot be expected in buried caliche profiles; the effect
     is more like Swiss cheese.

               For a full discussion of the geologic context of these photographs see "Direct Testimony"
                                        http://www.cardnm.org/techsecfrm_a.html