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Can the rock laboratory be converted to deep geological disposal?

No. That is not possible. The rock laboratory is used only for research purposes. There can be no question of the disposal of radioactive waste here. That is part of the contractual arrangement with the Canton of Jura.

Contracts

What is researched in the rock laboratory?

Research is separated into individual experiments, differentiated according to the following types: Development of methodology, e.g. test performance and related analyses; Characterisation of Opalinus Clay, e.g. understanding the chemical and physical processes in the Opalinus Clay at the laboratory and investigating the relevant properties and Parameters; Demonstration experiments. Here, tests on a 1:1 scale can be carried out over a long period. Generally, the experiments in the rock laboratory provide a significant body of knowledge about the feasibility and safety of deep geological disposal.

Experiments

Why clay for a deep geological disposal facility?

Argillaceous rocks are suitable as a geological barrier for the long-term encapsulation of radioactive waste. The three most important characteristics are: Retention of radionuclides at the clay mineral surfaces, very low permeability (no transfer of radionuclides by flowing water), and the ability to self-sealing of cracks and fissures by swelling.

Properties of Opalinus clay

Is it possible to visit the rock laboratory?

Yes! Guided tours of the Mont Terri rock laboratory are organised throughout the year for groups of visitors. More information is available here: Tel. +41 32 461 40 53 / visit@mont-terri.ch

Welcome to the visitors center

The Mont Terri project

The picture shows the entrance to the rock laboratory with the flags of all patners at the door.

The Mont Terri Project is an international research project for the hydrogeological, geochemical and geotechnical characterisation of a clay formation (Opalinus Clay).

Task

25 years of research in Mont Terri!

We are celebrating 25 years of research in the underground laboratory! For this occasion, a commemorative publication describing the history of the project was written and is available as a download here:

Commemorative Publication

Electric vehicles charging points

Borne électrique CCV — We now have two charging points for electric vehicles. They are located at the entrance to the Visitors' Centre on the train station side and are available to visitors on request.

Welcome to the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory

TM-40 — Technical Meeting 2023: almost 150 participants met in Porrentruy for the annual partners' meeting.

The visitor centre is open

A brand new film for the Mont Terri Project 25th anniversary!

Master Thesis in Augmented Reality (AR) in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory with swisstopoEDU

Dreidimensionale Ansicht des Felslabors — swisstopoEDU offers various opportunities to complete a Master thesis. One of them concerns augmented reality applications in the Mont Terri rock laboratory. Contact rock laboratory: Martin Ziegler or Romain Nicol on +41 32 461 40 54.

Interested? We look forward to receiving your application! All the info here.

Topic suggestions for swisstopoEDU
PDF, 5 Pages, 254 KB

Scientists involved in the Mont Terri Project have published a paper in the prestigious journal Nature

Nature geoscience, August 2022

The EPFL Laboratory of Soil Mechanics (LMS) has joined the Mont Terri Project

We are pleased to welcome the LMS, as well as another EPFL laboratory, the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML), to the Mont Terri Project. A new partnership named ETH/EPF will oversee the various laboratories of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Zürich and Lausanne, several of which are already involved in the project. These are the Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water (EAWAG) and the Nuclear Energy and Safety Research Division of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), as well as the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH.

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