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LLNL Emergency Management Plan (EPlan) <br />Rev 27 <br />January 2022 <br /> <br /> 17 <br />1.4.2.2 Topography and Geology <br />Site 200, which is roughly one square mile, is located in the southeastern part of the Livermore <br />valley within the eastern boundary of the City of Livermore. The valley is situated in a section of <br />the California coast range that lies between San Francisco Bay on the west and the northern San <br />Joaquin valley to the east. The Livermore valley is primarily of low relief, although it does <br />contain scattered groups of hills that rise from 300 to 600 meters above the valley floor. <br />Site 300 is located in the southeastern Altamont Hills of the Diablo range. The topography of <br />Site 300 consists of a series of steep hills and canyons generally oriented northwest to southeast. <br />The site is underlain by gently dipping sedimentary bedrock dissected by steep ravines. The <br />bedrock consists of interbedded conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones, and claystones. The <br />bedrock within Site 300 has been slightly deformed into several gentle, low-amplitude folds. The <br />locations and characteristics of these folds, in combination with the regional fault and fracture <br />patterns, locally influence groundwater flow within the site. <br />Although LLNL’s Site 200 and Site 300 are somewhat removed from the largest and most active <br />earthquake faults in California, both sites are located close to lesser active and potentially active <br />faults. The most important of these are the Calaveras and Greenville faults. The Carnegie-Corral <br />Hollow Fault system passes through Site 300 and 3 km east of Site 200. Additional information <br />regarding earthquake potential is discussed in Section 1.4.2.5 below. <br />1.4.2.3 Population Distribution <br />Following are population density data for areas in and around LLNL Sites 200 and 300, gathered <br />from the U.S. Census Bureau and based on 2010 survey information: <br />• Alameda County, CA, 1.5 million; 2,000 people per square mile <br />• San Joaquin County, CA, 685,000; 493 people per square mile <br />• Livermore, CA, population 81,000; 3,200 people per square mile <br />• Tracy, CA, population 83,000; 3,745 people per square mile <br />1.4.2.4 Meteorology <br />The climate at both sites is characterized by mild, rainy winters and warm-to-hot, dry summers, <br />with strong seasonal wind and rainfall patterns. Wind patterns (see Figure 1.2) at both sites tend <br />to be dominated by the thermal draw of the warm San Joaquin Valley that results in wind <br />blowing from the cool ocean toward the warm valley during the warm season, increasing in <br />intensity as the valley heats up. During the winter, the wind blows from the northeast more <br />frequently as cold, dense air spills out of the San Joaquin Valley. The meteorological conditions <br />at Site 300 are also strongly influenced by higher elevation and more pronounced topological <br />relief. Approximately 55% of the rain at both sites falls in January, February, and March and <br />approximately 80% falls in the five months from November through March, with very little rain <br />falling during the warmer months.