WORKING AS A GEOSCIENTIST AT A NATIONAL LAB: NATURAL HAZARD RISK ASSESSMENT AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

Assessment of the risks posed by natural hazards (earthquakes, lightning strikes, volcanic activity, etc.) on nuclear facilities and weapons labs are important from the standpoint of safety, and a requirement by the U.S. Department of Energy. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, a team of earth scientists and engineers works on risk assessments from natural hazards to inform building codes and develop response strategies in case of an event. In this presentation, we will focus on volcanic and seismic hazards. Los Alamos National Laboratory is located on the flank of the Jemez Mountains, a volcanic system with a liquid magma body, situated on a border fault zone of the active Rio Grande rift zone. Holocene volcanism and historic-to-present earthquakes characterize the region. In this presentation, we discuss how the hazard assessment process works, who are involved, which factors are taken into account, and what is done with the information. Geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, and engineers work together to understand the geology of the region, monitor ground motion and seismic activity, and build a comprehensive geologic framework model of the subsurface. Integration of various geological and geophysical datasets and consideration of both geological and historical timescales are crucial components of the risk assessment.