ABSTRACT
D. Elsworth Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
C. Fairhurst University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
ABSTRACT: The potential development of a deep underground science laboratory offers unusual opportunities for inquiry and experimentation in the geosciences and in geoengineering. The completed facility will extend to ∼2000 m deep, and be available for multi-decade occupancy. Experiments will investigate methods of in situ characterization using geophysical methods, extend our understanding of complex interactions of coupled processes which control the evolution of the dynamic Earth, and which extend methods of excavation and construction, especially at extreme depths. These general categories of enquiry accommodate suites of experiments related to: rock mass characterization, examining the role of scale effects on mechanical and transport properties, evaluating the evolution of mechanical and transport properties prompted by physical and chemical perturbations, and in examining methods of excavating deep boreholes and constructing habitable cavities at depth.
