Homestake Mine Research Articles

Three-dimensional distributed acoustic sensing at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a valuable tool for monitoring seismic signals as it provides high spatial and temporal resolution strain sensing along the length of a fiber-optic cable. DAS records the seismic wavefields essentially synchronously at each sensing location (i.e., sensing channel with gauge lengths) because the interrogator senses the distributed strain at the speed of light in the fiber. Unlike traditional seismic sensors, DAS has an intrinsic directional sensitivity to the axial strain change along the fiber, leading to difficulties when using standard seismic analysis and interpretations that rely on 3D particle velocity sensing. In addition, cable deployments on the surface can be dominated by high-amplitude wind or urban noise, impeding the detection of low-amplitude distant seismic sources. Here we investigate the capabilities of a unique 3D array with spiral-like portions in the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), the former Homestake Mine, between 1250 m (4100 ft) and 1488 m (4850 ft) in depth for detecting local, regional, and teleseismic sources of ground vibrations. Our pilot array finds that DAS records high frequency (above 5 Hz) vibration sources well, such as mine activities and local and regional blasting events. Furthermore, our deployment method (fiber resting on the surface with rocks placed every meter or so) may contribute to low-frequency noise that contaminates the interpretation of teleseismic waves, particularly lower frequency S-wave arrivals. Nevertheless, this 3D DAS array provides significant data for future analysis as well as the basis for improving and expanding the array in SURF.

A Linear Inversion Approach to Measuring the Composition and Directionality of the Seismic Noise Field

We develop a linear inversion technique for measuring the modal composition and directionality of ambient seismic noise. The technique draws from similar techniques used in astrophysics and gravitational-wave physics, and relies on measuring cross-correlations between different seismometer channels in a seismometer array. We characterize the sensitivity and the angular resolution of this technique using a series of simulations and real-world tests. We then apply the technique to data acquired by the three-dimensional seismometer array at the Homestake mine in Lead, SD, to estimate the composition and directionality of the seismic noise at microseism frequencies. We show that, at times of low-microseism amplitudes, noise is dominated by body waves (P and S), while at high-microseism times, the noise is dominated by surface Rayleigh waves.

DirectP-wave anisotropy measurements at Homestake Mine: implications for wave propagation in continental crust

SUMMARYWe measured anisotropic seismic properties of schists of the Homestake Formation located at a depth of 1478 m in the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. We deployed a 24-element linear array of three-component geophones in an area in the Homestake Mine called 19-ledge. An airless jackhammer source was used to shoot two profiles: (1) a walkaway survey to appraise any distance dependence and (2) a fan shot profile to measure variations with azimuth. Slowness estimates from the fan shot profile show a statistically significant deviation with azimuth with the expected 180° variation with azimuth. We measured P-wave particle motion deviations from data rotated to ray coordinates using three methods: (1) a conventional principal component method, (2) a novel grid search method that maximized longitudinal motion over a range of search angles and (3) the multiwavelet method. The multiwavelet results were computed in two frequency bands of 200–600 and 100–300 Hz. Results were binned by azimuth and averaged with a robust estimation method with error bars estimated by a bootstrap method. The particle motion results show large, statistically significant variations with azimuth with a 180° cyclicity. We modelled the azimuthal variations in compressional wave speed and angular deviation from purely longitudinal particle motion of P-waves using an elastic tensor method to appraise the relative importance of crystalline fabric relative to fracturing parallel to foliation. The model used bulk averages of crystal fabric measured for an analogous schist sample from southeast Vermont rotated to the Homestake Formation foliation directions supplied by SURF from old mine records. We found with average crustal crack densities crack induced anisotropy had only a small effect on the observables. We found strong agreement in the traveltime data. The observed amplitudes of deviations of P particle motion showed significantly larger variation than the model predictions and a 20° phase shift in azimuth. We attribute the inadequacies of the model fit to the particle motion data to inadequacies in the analogue rock and/or near receiver distortions from smaller scale heterogeneity. We discuss the surprising variability of signals recorded in this experimental data. We show clear examples of unexplained resonances and unexpected variations on a scale much smaller than a wavelength that has broad implications for wave propagation in real rocks.

Low Static Shear Modulus Along Foliation and Its Influence on the Elastic and Strength Anisotropy of Poorman Schist Rocks, Homestake Mine, South Dakota

We investigate the influence of foliation orientation and fine-scale folding on the static and dynamic elastic properties and unconfined strength of the Poorman schist. Measurements from triaxial and uniaxial laboratory experiments reveal a significant amount of variability in the static and dynamic Young’s modulus depending on the sample orientation relative to the foliation plane. Dynamic P-wave modulus and S-wave modulus are stiffer in the direction parallel to the foliation plane as expected for transversely isotropic mediums with average Thomsen parameters values 0.133 and 0.119 for epsilon and gamma, respectively. Static Young’s modulus varies significantly between 21 and 117 GPa, and a peculiar trend is observed where some foliated sample groups show an anomalous decrease in the static Young’s modulus when the symmetry axis (x3-axis) is oriented obliquely to the direction of loading. Utilizing stress and strain relationships for transversely isotropic medium, we derive the analytical expression for Young’s modulus as a function of the elastic moduli E1, E3, ν31, and G13 and sample orientation to fit the static Young’s modulus measurements. Regression of the equation to the Young’s modulus data reveals that the decrease in static Young’s modulus at oblique symmetry axis orientations is directly influenced by a low shear modulus, G13, which we attribute to shear sliding along foliation planes during static deformation that occurs as soon as the foliation is subject to shear stress. We argue that such difference between dynamic and static anisotropy is a characteristic of near-zero porosity anisotropic rocks. The uniaxial compressive strength also shows significant variability ranging from 21.9 to 194.6 MPa across the five sample locations and is the lowest when the symmetry axis is oriented 45° or 60° from the direction of loading, also a result of shear sliding along foliation planes during static deformation.

Methods for the robust computation of the long-period seismic spectrum of broad-band arrays

SUMMARY We describe array methods to search for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) signals in long-period seismic data using Fourier analysis. This is motivated by published results that find evidence of solar free oscillations in the Earth's seismic hum. Previous work used data from only one station. In this paper, we describe methods for computing spectra from array data. Arrays reduce noise level through averaging and provide redundancy that we use to distinguish coherent signal from a random background. We describe two algorithms for calculating a robust spectrum from seismic arrays, an algorithm that automatically removes impulsive transient signals from data, a jackknife method for estimating the variance of the spectrum, and a method for assessing the significance of an entire spectral band. We show examples of their application to data recorded by the Homestake Mine 3-D array in Lead, SD and the Piñon Flats PY array. These are two of the quietest small aperture arrays ever deployed in North America. The underground Homestake data has exceptionally low noise, and the borehole sensors of the PY array also have very low noise, making these arrays well suited to finding very weak signals. We find that our methods remove transient signals effectively from the data so that even low-SNR signals in the seismic background can be found and tested. Additionally, we find that the jackknife variance estimate is comparable to the noise floor, and we present initial evidence for solar g-modes in our data through the T2 test, a multivariate generalization of Student's t-test.

Estimation of seismic source parameters in 3D elastic media using the reciprocity theorem

We have developed a novel method based upon reciprocity principles to simultaneously estimate the location of a seismic event and its source mechanism in 3D heterogeneous media. The method finds double-couple (DC) and non-DC mechanisms of microearthquakes arising from localized induced and natural seismicity. Because the method uses an exhaustive search of the 3D elastic media, it is globally convergent. It does not suffer from local minima realization observed with local optimization methods, including Newton, Gauss-Newton, or gradient-descent algorithms. The computational efficiency of our scheme is derived from the reciprocity principle, in which the number of 3D model realizations corresponds to the number of measurement receivers. The 3D forward modeling is carried out in the damped Fourier domain with a 3D finite-difference frequency-domain fourth- and second-order code developed to simulate elastic waves generated by seismic sources defined by forces and second-order moment density tensors. We evaluate the results of testing this new methodology on synthetic data for the Raft River geothermal field, Idaho, as well as determine its applicability in designing optimal borehole monitoring arrays in a fracking experiment at the Homestake Mine, South Dakota. We also find that the method proposed here can retrieve the moment tensors of the space distributed source with data arising from spatially restricted arrays with limited aperture. The effects of uncertainties on the source parameter estimation are also examined with respect to data noise and model uncertainty.

Culture-based analysis of ‘Cave Silver’ biofilms on Rocks in the former Homestake mine in South Dakota, USA

Tunnels in a warm, humid area of the 1478 m level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), located in a former gold mine in South Dakota, USA, host irregular, thin whitish, iridescent biofilms, which appear superficially similar to ‘cave silver’ biofilms described from limestone and lava tube caves, despite the higher rock temperature (32°C) and differing rock surface (phyllite) present at SURF. In this study, we investigated the diversity of cultivable bacteria constituting the cave silver by using several media: CN agar, CN gellan gum and 0.1X R2A agar. The highest colony count (CFU/g of sample) was observed on 0.1X R2A medium. The bacterial strains were grouped into 39 distinct genotypes by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. In addition, the bacterial strains were further characterized based on their phenotypic and biochemical properties. 16S rRNA gene sequencing classified the cave silver isolates into three major bacterial phyla: Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Isolates included some known genera; such as Taonella, Dongia, Mesorhizobium, Ralstonia, Pedomicrobium, Bauldia, Pseudolabrys, Reyrnella, Mizugakiibacter, Bradyrhizobium, Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Sporichthya, Allokutzneria, Amycolatopsis, Pseudonocardia, and Paenibacillus. Several isolates; related to Taonella, Dongia and Variibacter; may represent undescribed genera.

Coherence‐Based Approaches for Estimating the Composition of the Seismic Wavefield

AbstractAs new techniques exploiting the Earth's ambient seismic noise field are developed and applied, such as for the observation of temporal changes in seismic velocity structure, it is crucial to quantify the precision with which wave‐type measurements can be made. This work uses array data at the Homestake mine in Lead, South Dakota, and an array at Sweetwater, Texas, to consider two aspects that control this precision: the types of seismic wave contributing to the ambient noise field at microseism frequencies and the effect of array geometry. Both are quantified using measurements of wavefield coherence between stations in combination with Wiener filters. We find a strong seasonal change between body‐wave and surface‐wave content. Regarding the inclusion of underground stations, we quantify the lower limit to which the ambient noise field can be characterized and reproduced; the applications of the Wiener filters are about 4 times more successful in reproducing ambient noise waveforms when underground stations are included in the array, resulting in predictions of seismic time series with less than a 1% residual, and are ultimately limited by the geometry and aperture of the array, as well as by temporal variations in the seismic field. We discuss the implications of these results for the geophysics community performing ambient seismic noise studies, as well as for the cancellation of seismic Newtonian gravity noise in ground‐based, sub‐Hertz, gravitational‐wave detectors.

Effect of bicarbonate and phosphate on arsenic release from mining-impacted sediments in the Cheyenne River watershed, South Dakota, USA.

The mobilization of arsenic (As) from riverbank sediments affected by the gold mining legacy in north-central South Dakota was examined using aqueous speciation chemistry, spectroscopy, and diffraction analyses. Gold mining resulted in the discharge of approximately 109 metric tons of mine waste into Whitewood Creek (WW) near the Homestake Mine and Cheyenne River at Deal Ranch (DR), 241 km downstream. The highest concentrations of acid-extractable As measured from solid samples was 2020 mg kg-1 at WW and 385 mg kg-1 at DR. Similar sediment mineralogy between WW and DR was identified using XRD, with the predominance of alumino-silicate and iron-bearing minerals. Alkalinity measured in surface water at both sites ranged from 1000 to 2450 mg L-1 as CaCO3 (10-20 mM HCO3- at pH 7). Batch laboratory experiments were conducted under oxidizing conditions to evaluate the effects of NaHCO3 (0.2 mM and 20 mM) and NaH2PO3 (0.1 and 10 mM) on the mobilization of As. These ions are relevant for the site due to the alkaline nature of the river and nutrient mobilization from the ranch. The range of As(v) release with the NaHCO3 treatment was 17-240 μg L-1. However, the highest release (6234 μg L-1) occurred with 10 mM NaH2PO3, suggesting that As release is favored by competitive ion displacement with PO43- compared to HCO3-. Although higher total As was detected in WW solids, the As(v) present in DR solids was labile when reacted with NaHCO3 and NaH2PO3, which is a relevant finding for communities living close to the river bank. The results from this study aid in a better understanding of As mobility in surface water sites affected by the mining legacy.

A 3D Broadband Seismometer Array Experiment at the Homestake Mine

ABSTRACTSeismometer deployments are often confined to near the Earth’s surface for practical reasons, despite the clear advantages of deeper seismometer installations related to lower noise levels and more homogeneous conditions. Here, we describe a 3D broadband seismometer array deployed at the inactive Homestake Mine in South Dakota, which takes advantage of infrastructure originally setup for mining and is now used for a range of scientific experiments. The array consists of 24 stations, of which 15 were underground, with depths ranging from 300 ft (91 m) to 4850 ft (1478 m), and with a 3D aperture of ∼1.5 km in each direction, thus spanning a 3D volume of about 3.4 km3. We describe unique research opportunities and challenges related to the 3D geometry, including the generally low ambient noise levels, the strong coherency between observed event waveforms across the array, and the technical challenges of running the network. This article summarizes preliminary results obtained using data acquired by the Homestake array, illustrating the range of possible studies supported by the data.

Measurement of elongate mineral particles: What we should measure and how do we do it?

The length distributions of single fibrils of Coalinga, UICC-B and wet dispersed chrysotile were measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the distributions significantly diverged above approximately 10 μm (μm) in length, corresponding to differences in published results of animal experiments. This result is in contrast to published data in which counting of an insufficient number of fibers resulted in an erroneous conclusion that the length distribution of Coalinga chrysotile fibrils was indistinguishable from those of other sources of chrysotile.The size distributions of the respirable particle size fractions from acknowledged tremolite asbestos samples were found to be dominated by elongate particles longer than 5 μm that are within the dimensional range of non-asbestiform amphiboles. Prior studies have shown that these elongate particles obscure a correlation between a specific size range of particles and results of animal implantation studies that used tremolite of various morphologies. In the prior studies, a reference protocol was developed from four crushed non-asbestiform amphiboles to differentiate the size range of amphibole particles that correlates with the mesothelioma frequencies observed in the animal studies. In the work reported here, this correlation was tested with TEM analyses of amphiboles from Libby, MT, Sparta, NJ and Homestake mine, Lead, SD, which represent known environmental/occupational situations. Further TEM analyses of the tremolite samples used in the original animal implantation studies have also shown that the numbers of elongate tremolite particles with lengths ≤5 μm implanted into the animals are not correlated with the observed mesothelioma frequencies.

Experiments on Direct Dark Matter Search with Two-phase Emission Detectors

Emission detectors, invented 45 years ago in MEPhI, found their unique application in modern experiments searching for cold dark matter in the form of weakly ionizing massive particles (WIMPs). The current best limits for the interaction cross sections of supersymmetric WIMPs having a mass of 100GeV/c2 with nucleons were measured with emission detector LUX containing 360kg of liquid xenon as detector medium installed in Davis’ cave at Homestake mine in South Dakota. Emission detectors of the next generation G2, with an active detector mass of about 10 tons, will either unambiguously detect WIMPs or rule out all current theoretical predictions for WIMP existence. Detectors of the G3 generation will be used for multiple purposes including detection of double beta neutrinoless decay and low-energy neutrinos

Wiener filtering with a seismic underground array at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

A seismic array has been deployed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the former Homestake mine, South Dakota, USA, to study the underground seismic environment. This includes exploring the advantages of constructing a third-generation gravitational-wave (GW) detector underground. A major noise source for these detectors would be Newtonian noise (NN), which is induced by fluctuations in the local gravitational field. The hope is that a combination of a low-noise seismic environment and coherent noise subtraction using seismometers in the vicinity of the detector could suppress the NN to below the projected noise floor for future GW detectors. In this paper, certain properties of the NN subtraction problem are studied by applying similar techniques to data of a seismic array. We use Wiener filtering techniques to subtract coherent noise in a seismic array in the frequency band 0.05–1 Hz. This achieves more than an order of magnitude noise cancellation over a majority of this band. The variation in the Wiener-filter coefficients over the course of the day, including how local activities impact the filter, is analyzed. We also study the variation in coefficients over the course of a month, showing the stability of the filter with time. How varying the filter order affects the subtraction performance is also explored. It is shown that optimizing filter order can significantly improve subtraction of seismic noise.

Insights into the metabolism, lifestyle and putative evolutionary history of the novel archaeal phylum 'Diapherotrites'.

The archaeal phylum 'Diapherotrites' was recently proposed based on phylogenomic analysis of genomes recovered from an underground water seep in an abandoned gold mine (Homestake mine in Lead, SD, USA). Here we present a detailed analysis of the metabolic capabilities and genomic features of three single amplified genomes (SAGs) belonging to the 'Diapherotrites'. The most complete of the SAGs, Candidatus 'Iainarchaeum andersonii' (Cand. IA), had a small genome (∼1.24 Mb), short average gene length (822 bp), one ribosomal RNA operon, high coding density (∼90.4%), high percentage of overlapping genes (27.6%) and low incidence of gene duplication (2.16%). Cand. IA genome possesses limited catabolic capacities that, nevertheless, could theoretically support a free-living lifestyle by channeling a narrow range of substrates such as ribose, polyhydroxybutyrate and several amino acids to acetyl-coenzyme A. On the other hand, Cand. IA possesses relatively well-developed anabolic capabilities, although it remains auxotrophic for several amino acids and cofactors. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the majority of Cand. IA anabolic genes were acquired from bacterial donors via horizontal gene transfer. We thus propose that members of the 'Diapherotrites' have evolved from an obligate symbiotic ancestor by acquiring anabolic genes from bacteria that enabled independent biosynthesis of biological molecules previously acquired from symbiotic hosts. 'Diapherotrites' 16S rRNA genes exhibit multiple mismatches with the majority of archaeal 16S rRNA primers, a fact that could be responsible for their observed rarity in amplicon-generated data sets. The limited substrate range, complex growth requirements and slow growth rate predicted could be responsible for its refraction to isolation.

Cryogenic Large Liquid Xenon Detector for Dark Matter Searches

Observation of rotational curve of spiral galaxies shows that a large fraction (∼23%) of the mass density of the universe is unaccounted for. Such a significant percentage of missing dark matter suggests that the universe may consist of new types of elementary particles. A compelling explanation for the new particles is the existence of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), which are non-baryonic particles characterized by particle physics theories beyond the Standard Model. WIMPs are believed to only interact through the weak force and gravity; hence the interaction cross section with ordinary matter is extremely small. Therefore, experimental techniques that combine low radioactivity, low energy thresholds, efficient discrimination against electronic recoil backgrounds, and scalability to large detector masses can only be performed at a deep underground environment where the interference of cosmic rays is obviated. In this paper, we report a cryogenic large liquid xenon detector for dark matter searches at Sanford Lab (Davis Cavern) in the Homestake Mine, USA. The goal of the large underground xenon (LUX) dual-phase detector is to clearly detect (or exclude) WIMPs with a spin independent cross-section per nucleon of 7 × 10−46 cm2, equivalent to ∼0.5 events/100 kg/month in an inner 100 kg fiducial volume (FV) of a 300 kg LXe detector.

Clock-transport synchronisation for neutrino time-of-flight measurements

A method to synchronise, at the sub-nanosecond level, clocks used for neutrino time-of-flight measurements is proposed. Clocks situated near the neutrino source and target are compared with a moveable clock that is transported between them. The general-relativistic theory of the procedure was tested and verified in an experiment performed by Hafele and Keating in 1972. It is suggested that use of such a synchronisation method may contribute to a precise test of the Sagnac effect ---a measured velocity greater than $c$--- for neutrinos of the proposed LBNE beam between Fermilab and the Homestake mine.

Muon-induced background study for an argon-based long baseline neutrino experiment

We evaluated rates of transversing muons, muon-induced fast neutrons, and production of $^{40}$Cl and other cosmogenically produced nuclei that pose as potential sources of background to the physics program proposed for an argon-based long baseline neutrino experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The Geant4 simulations were carried out with muons and muon-induced neutrons for both 800 ft (0.712 km.w.e.) and 4850 ft levels (4.3 km.w.e.). We developed analytic models to independently calculate the $^{40}$Cl production using the measured muon fluxes at different levels of the Homestake mine. The muon induced $^{40}$Cl production rates through stopped muon capture and the muon-induced neutrons and protons via (n,p) and (p,n) reactions were evaluated. We find that the Monte Carlo simulated production rates of $^{40}$Cl agree well with the predictions from analytic models. A depth-dependent parametrization was developed and benchmarked to the direct analytic models. We conclude that the muon-induced processes will result in large backgrounds to the physics proposed for an argon-based long baseline neutrino experiment at a depth of less than 4.0 km.w.e.

Hydrogeology of the vicinity of Homestake mine, South Dakota, USA

The former Homestake mine in South Dakota (USA) cuts fractured metamorphic rock over a region several km2 in plan, and plunges to the SE to a depth of 2.4 km. Numerical simulations of the development and dewatering of the mine workings are based on idealizing the mine-workings system as two overlapping continua, one representing the open drifts and the other representing the host rock with hydrologic properties that vary with effective stress. Equating macroscopic hydrologic properties with characteristics of deformable fractures allows the number of parameters to be reduced, and it provides a physically based justification for changes in properties with depth. The simulations explain important observations, including the co-existence of shallow and deep flow systems, the total dewatering flow rate, the spatial distribution of in-flow, and the magnitude of porosity in the mine workings. The analysis indicates that a deep flow system induced by ~125 years of mining is contained within a surface-truncated ellipsoid roughly 8 km by 4 km in plan view and 5.5 km deep with its long-axis aligned to the strike of the workings. Groundwater flow into the southern side of the workings is characterized by short travel times from the ground surface, whereas flow into the northern side and at depth consists of old water removed from storage.

DUSEL (Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory) and LBNE (Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment)

The proposed Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) will explore the interactions and oscillations of a high-intensity neutrino beam sent from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) more than 1,000 kilometers away through the earth to DUSEL at the Homestake mine. DUSEL will be one of the worldʼs deepest underground laboratories and shield the LBNE neutrino detectors from cosmic particles at a depth of 4300 meters-water-equivalent. Two detector technologies are being considered: a 300 kTon Water Cherenkov detector deployed deep underground and a 50kT Liquid Argon Time-Projection Chamber (TPC). The physics sensitivities of the proposed experiments are summarized.

Prospects of Measuring Lepton CP-violation with LBNE at DUSEL

Excellent measurement of the neutrino oscillation parameters achieved in recent years has set the scene for probing the size of the leptonic CP-violation angle. The Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) will have an unprecedented sensitivity to CP-violation angle and a range of other physics questions. LBNE will be a massive neutrino detector located at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in the Homestake mine in the town of Lead, South Dakota, USA. Two independent detector technologies have been utilized for detector design: water Cherenkov and liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) type of detector and both technologies have similar sensitivity to the main physics questions to be answered. The experiment will measure the value of CP-violation phase δ in lepton sector, ordering of neutrino masses and value of the angle θ13. In addition, the LBNE will be able to search for proton decay, get a detailed energy spectrum in the case of galactic supernovae, detect solar and atmospheric neutrinos, possibly geoneutrinos and even measure the relic supernovae neutrino flux. In order to address most of the aforementioned physics questions, the detector will be placed at large depth of 1480 m (WC). The scientific goals require a minimal size of 2×100 kton equivalent water Cherenkov fiducial volume or 2×17 kton LArTPC, or the combination of the both. The LBNE will obtain 3σ C.L. measurement of θ13 at the 0.001 level, for any value of CP-δ phase. In addition LBNE will resolve the neutrino mass hierarchy at 3σ C.L. measurement of the neutrino mass hierarchy if sin22θ13 ≥ 0.01 for any value of CP-δ phase and measure about 50% of all CP-δ phases with 3σ C.L. for sin2 2θ13 ≥ 0.01. The experiment will make these measurements using an electron neutrino appearance signal in the muon neutrino beam sent to LBNE from Fermilab, 1300 km away. The beam will be 700 kW and then 2 MW. The experiment will run in both neutrino and anti-neutrino mode. In addition to detectors at DUSEL, a near detector complex at Fermilab is foreseen for beam normalization measurement. The report on the physics reach, design status and current undergoing research and development toward construction of the LBNE.