Strong salinity gradients in the northeastern part of the Salton Sea geothermal field, CA: a fluid inclusion and brine chemistry study

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985 · Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:6327104

Oakes, C S

Geothermal wells in the northeastern Salton Sea geothermal field produce concentrated Na-Ca-K-Cl brines. Maximum dissolved constituents do not exceed 260,000 ppm. Fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures from cuttings of vein calcite and quartz are in close agreement with temperature logs and indicate maximum reservoir temperatures between 290/sup 0/ and 310/sup 0/C at 3140 to 3565 m. Melting temperatures of inclusion fluids indicate the trapping of both low salinity and high salinity vein-forming solutions. The high salinity inclusion fluids appear similar to the produced reservoir fluids in their total dissolved solids, while both high salinity and low salinity inclusions imply temperatures similar to that of the reservoir. The low salinity inclusions occur over broad intervals above and below the much less vertically extensive high salinity inclusion fluids. Although the presence of interstratified high salinity and low salinity brines should be gravitationally unstable, flow tests of one well, at varying well head pressures, produced two brines of distinctly different compositions. Consequently, the persistence of two different brines requires severe impedance of vertical permeability. Stratification of brines in this geothermal system carries significant implications for the formation models of some epithermal ore deposits by mixing of fluids of different salinity, pH, fO/sub 2/, fS/sub 2/, temperature, etc. Additionally, there are very strong economic advantages to the possible production of hot, dilute brines rather than the currently produced highly saline brines.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Riverside (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6327104
• Report Number(s): CONF-8510489-
• Journal Information: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Vol. 17; Conference: 98. annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Orlando, FL, USA, 28 Oct 1985
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
58 GEOSCIENCES
BRINES
GEOCHEMISTRY
SALTON SEA GEOTHERMAL FIELD
SALINITY GRADIENTS
CALIFORNIA
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
INCLUSIONS
SALINITY
WATER CHEMISTRY
CHEMISTRY
FEDERAL REGION IX
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
NORTH AMERICA
USA
WELLS
150200* - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems
580400 - Geochemistry- (-1989)