Discovery of a concealed geothermal resource in the Alturas Basin, and its implications for further exploration in northeastern California

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:175618

Bohm, B ^[1]; Juncal, R W ^[2]

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1. Plumas Geo-Hydrology, Portola, CA (United States)
2. Millcreek Associates, Milford, CA (United States)

In 1988 a so far unknown geothermal resource was drilled into under the City of Alturas in northeastern California. A fracture was tapped below 2300 feet, in cemented fine-grained tuffs and mudflows, producing 182{degrees}F water. The well has been used since 1990 to heat the local high school. A second well was drilled in 1991, producing about 250 gpm 182{degrees}F water from a fracture below 1893 ft. Well productivities and artesian pressures are variable, depending on distance from a major fault zone and local hydrologic regime. It appears as if the wells produce from deep reaching fractures in a caprock, that may conceal a 300 to 400{degrees}F resource between 4000 and 6000 feet depth. The results have important implications for geothermal exploration in northeastern California, i.e. just because there are no surface manifestations in a basin, it does not necessarily mean there is no geothermal resource at depth.

• OSTI ID: 175618
• Report Number(s): CONF-951037--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
CALIFORNIA
DRILLING
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT