Bibliographic Citation
| Document |  3 Mb |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.2172/5509289 |
| Title | Geology of the platanares geothermal site, Departamento de Copan, Honduras, Central America. Field report |
| Creator/Author | Heiken, G. ; Eppler, D. ; Wohletz, K. ; Flores, W. ; Ramos, N. ; Ritchie, A. |
| Publication Date | 1986 May 01 |
| OSTI Identifier | OSTI ID: 5509289; Legacy ID: DE86013629 |
| Report Number(s) | LA-10634-MS |
| DOE Contract Number | W-7405-ENG-36 |
| Other Number(s) | Other: ON: DE86013629 |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
| Research Org | Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA) |
| Subject | 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES; RESOURCE ASSESSMENT; HONDURAS; GEOLOGIC FAULTS; GEOLOGY; HOT SPRINGS; RECOMMENDATIONS; TUFF; CENTRAL AMERICA; DEVELOPING COUNTRIES; GEOLOGIC FRACTURES; GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES; LATIN AMERICA; RESOURCES; THERMAL SPRINGS; WATER SPRINGS |
| Related Subject | Geothermal Legacy |
| Description/Abstract | Platanares is located 16 km west of Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras, along the Quebrada del Agua Caliente. The thermal manifestations are along faults in tuffs, tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, and lavas of the Padre Miguel Group. These tuffs are silicified near the faults, are fractured, and may provide the fracture permeability necessary for the hydrothermal system. Tuffs are overlain by a wedge of terrace gravels up to 60 m thick. Quaternary conglomerates of the Quebrada del Agua Caliente are cemented by silica sinter. The Platanares area contains numerous faults, all of which appear to be extensional. There are four groups of faults (N80/sup 0/E to N70/sup 0/W, N30/sup 0/ to 60/sup 0/W, N40/sup 0/ to 65/sup 0/E, and N00/sup 0/ to 05/sup 0/W). All hot springs at this site are located along faults that trend mostly northwest and north. Twenty-eight spring groups were described over an area of 0.2 km/sup 2/; half were boiling. Based on surface temperatures and flow rates, between 0.7 and 1.0 MW thermal energy is estimated for the area. The increased temperature of the stream flowing through the thermal area indicates that several megawatts of thermal energy are being added to the stream. We recommend that a dipole-dipole resistivity line be run along the Quebrada del Agua Caliente to identify zones of fracture permeability associated with buried faults and hot water reservoirs within those fault zones. A thermal gradient corehole should be drilled at Platanares to test temperatures, lithologies, and permeability of the hydrothermal system. |
| Country of Publication | United States |
| Language | Spanish and English |
| Format | Medium: ED; Size: Pages: 69 |
| Availability | NTIS, PC A04/MF A01. |
| System Entry Date | 2007 May 14 |
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Last Updated: 11/19/2009