Hydrothermal alteration as an indicator of temperature and flow regime in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field of Baja California
More than 65 boreholes, 1.5 to 3.5 km deep have encountered temperatures less than or equal to 350/sup 0/C and brines with less than or equal to 1% total dissolved solids in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field of the Salton Trough intracontinental rift system. Temperature-dependence dehydration and decarbonation reactions have produced progressive hydrothermal alteration in the deltaic sediments of the reservoir to form greenschist facies rocks. Various methods of geothermometry were applied, including authigenic mineral assemblages and light stable isotopes, to study temperature distribution and fluid-rock interaction in the subsurface. These data have revealed a pattern of mineral zones and isotopic ratios in the rocks which defines the shape of the reservoir and records the pattern of hydrothermal circulation prior to production. It was inferred that a thermal plume, elongated in a NW-SE direction, dips at 45/sup 0/ to the NE; it is recharged from the NE and discharges to the SW.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of California, Riverside
- OSTI ID:
- 6297850
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-800920-
- Journal Information:
- Trans. - Geotherm. Resour. Counc.; (United States), Vol. 4; Conference: Geothermal Resource Council annual meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, 9 Sep 1980
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Hydrothermal-flow regime and magmatic heat source of the Cerro Prieto geothermal system, Baja California, Mexico
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Related Subjects
CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL FIELD
HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION
BIOTITE
CALCITE
EPIDOTES
FLUID FLOW
GEOTHERMOMETRY
ISOTOPE RATIO
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM SILICATES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SILICATES
MICA
MINERALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
150202* - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems- Non-USA- (-1989)