Geopressured-geothermal development and coastal subsidence in Louisiana
Elevation changes at the Parcperdue geopressured-geothermal test site in southwestern Louisiana range from 0.8 to 0.16 in/y (+2 to -4 mm/y) and reflect natural base-line movements associated with salt dome growth and the compaction of thick, recent sediments. Natural variation is the primary cause of greater movement at the nearby Rockefeller Refuge geopressured-geothermal test site where base-line movement rates range from -0.43 to -0.55 in/y (-12 to -14 mm/y). Holocene sediments in the coastal marshlands at Rockefeller Refuge are more susceptible to compactional subsidence than upland Pleistocene formations at Parcperdue. Anomalous subsidence at both test sites coincided with site preparation and well drilling and may have been related to loading of surficial soils by the weight of drilling equipment. Elevation changes monitored after drilling and during formation testing were consistent with base-line subsidence rates, indicating that loading was temporary. Anomalous base-line subsidence rates coinciding with areas of historical fluid withdrawal indicate that these effects may outweigh the effects of present geopressured-geothermal development.
- Research Organization:
- Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC08-81NV10174
- OSTI ID:
- 6115003
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NV/10174-8; CONF-850207-4; ON: DE85007481
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Geopressured-geothermal energy conference, Austin, TX, USA, 4 Feb 1985; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Subsidence measurements around geopressured-geothermal test sites in southwestern Louisiana
Subsidence measurements around geopressured-geothermal test sites in southwestern Louisiana