Geologic framework and hot dry rock geothermal potential of the Castle Dome area, Yuma County, Arizona
The Castle Dome Mountains and surrounding ranges constitute a voluminous pile of silicic volcanic rocks within the Basin and Range province of southwestern Arizona. Previously reported as Cretaceous and Quaternary in age, these volcanics all are of late Oligocene to early Miocene age as indicated by five new K-Ar dates. Reconnaissance field studies indicate that the volcanic section locally has undergone large rotations that contrast with the usual structural style of the Basin and Range and resemble the thin-skinned rotational tectonics documented for earlier, mid-Tertiary extensional deformation in ranges to the north and northeast. Significant geothermal potential of the Castle Dome area is suggested by a shallow depth to the Curie isotherm and by the apparent presence of a good electrical conductor at anomalously shallow depth in the crust. Warm wells exist in the area and Shearer (1979) reported a geothermal gradient of about 70/sup 0/C/km in a dry well near the center of the gravity low. Radiogenic heat production in the silicic batholith inferred above constitutes a reasonable candidate for a shallow regional heat source.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6623838
- Report Number(s):
- LA-8723-HDR
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ARIZONA
GEOLOGY
HOT-DRY-ROCK SYSTEMS
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
VOLCANIC ROCKS
AGE ESTIMATION
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
GRAVITY SURVEYS
HEAT SOURCES
IRON OXIDES
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
MANGANESE OXIDES
MAPS
POTASSIUM OXIDES
SILICA
TITANIUM OXIDES
VOLCANIC REGIONS
WELLS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
IRON COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MANGANESE COMPOUNDS
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
ROCKS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SURVEYS
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
USA
WESTERN REGION
Geothermal Legacy
150201* - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems- USA- (-1989)