Neotectonics and seismicity: This includes assessment of recent tectonic activity and movement along existing weak planes. The investigation comprises fractal analysis of fractures; GPS based strain studies, drainage morphometry, soil gas measurements along suspected faults, riverbed sediments analysis, geomorphic evidences, statistical modeling, and palaeontological studies etc.

Insitu response of rocks to heat, moisture and excavation: This includes investigations on geochemical and mineralogical alterations, fracture modifications; advancement of geochemical front, alterations induced by combination of temperature and moisture conditions especially at granite/dike interface. Similarly for studying excavation-induced modifications in granites especially excavation damage zone, fracture modification, permeability etc, existing rail tunnels, hydel tunnels or mine tunnels made by TBM and conventional blasting can be evaluated at suitable locations.

Rock strength variation: This includes studies of variation in rock strength as a function of rock texture, mineralogy, micro structures, alteration, petrogenesis etc for their long term performance assessment.

Natural Analogues: This includes studies on natural basaltic glass alterations ie mechanism of dissolution, alteration rates, products, time dependent alteration under sea water and fresh water, geochemical behavior of alkalis, REE and silica etc during alteration. Also swelling clays, shale/intrusive contact can be investigated for geochemistry, mineralogical alterations, quantification of alterations in terms of rates and time. Granite matrix alterations around thermal springs and geochemical reactions, alteration along granite fractures and dating, diffusion of certain elements (Sr, Cs, Ca, REE etc) through matrix as well as filled fractures offer valuable information on repository components.

This includes generation of comprehensive databases for sites pertaining to seismic events, modifications of groundwater flow directions and climatic changes in last few tens of thousands years and their application in modeling possible future alterations in next few thousands of years.

Regional Groundwater flow analysis: This may include investigations on ground water flow through fractured media in both unsaturated as well as saturated regime and the impact of geomorphology, structural geology, stratigraphy, etc on regional ground water flows and consequence analysis of possible alterations under a set of presumed scenarios.

Solute transport in fractured media: This includes determination of fracture geometry, composition of filling material and groundwater, rock geochemistry and textural features etc and assessing their control on transport rates of selected elements and also variations in diffusion coefficient in rock matrix as a function of time and associated mathematical modeling. This will involve block scale experiments followed by field scale experiments for model validations.

Alteration rates along fractures: This includes quantification of alteration rates & products, sequence, mechanism, controlling factors and their effects on flow characteristics of fractures to address long-term barrier geochemical and mechanical degradation.

Near Field and far field transport of radionuclides: This includes Diffusion studies on geochemical behavior of selected radionuclides under combinations of conditions of heat, moisture and stresses through clay barriers.

Salinity: This includes assessment of enhanced salinity and alkalinity Induced by fluid inclusions and concrete respectively in repository. These changes will enhance barriers corrosions. This may be studied for its long-term impact assessment.

Groundwater chemistry: This includes mainly quantification of possible geochemical changes in water chemistry induced by elevated temperature and material used in repository and its impact on different barriers.

Lab simulation of barriers and their interactions

Seals and Grouts: This includes complete geochemical characterization and their 
long-term performance assessment under repository conditions. These will be used to 
seal near field fractures

Clay barriers: This includes creep laws and other parameters