Heat flow and microearthquake studies, Coso Geothermal Area, China Lake, California. Final report

Book · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1975

OSTI ID:5490665

Combs, J

The present research effort at the Coso Geothermal Area located on the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California, was concerned with: (1) heat flow studies and (2) microearthquake studies associated with the geothermal phenomena in the Coso Hot Springs area. The sites for ten heat flow boreholes were located primarily using the available seismic ground noise and electrical resistivity data. Difficulty was encountered in the drilling of all of the holes due to altered, porous, faulted, and sometime highly fractures zones. Thermal conductivity measurements were completed using both the needle probe technique and the divided bar apparatus with a cell arrangement. Heat flow values were obtaned by combining equilibrium temperature measurements with the appropriate thermal conductivity values. Heat, in the upper few hundred meters of the subsurface associated with the Coso Geothermal Area, is being transferred by a conductive heat transfer mechanism with a value of approximately 15 ..mu..cal/cm/sup 2/-sec. This is typical of geothermal systems throughout the world and is approximately ten times the normal terrestrial heat flow of 1.5 HFU. The background heat flow for the Coso region is about 3.5 HFU.

• OSTI ID: 5490665
• Report Number(s): NP-24301
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150301* -- Geothermal Exploration & Exploration Technology-- Geophysical Techniques & Surveys
CALIBRATION
CALIFORNIA
COSO HOT SPRINGS
EARTHQUAKES
ENERGY TRANSFER
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
Geothermal Legacy
HEAT FLOW
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS
KGRA
LEAST SQUARE FIT
MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD FIT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROEARTHQUAKES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SEISMIC ARRAYS
SEISMIC DETECTORS
SEISMIC EVENTS
SEISMIC NOISE
SEISMOGRAPHS
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
USA
VAPOR-DOMINATED SYSTEMS
WESTERN REGION