Hydrothermal alteration at Roosevelt Hot Springs KGRA - DDH 1976-1

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5984607· OSTI ID:5984607

Bryant, N L; Parry, W T

Hot waters of the Roosevelt Thermal Area, Utah, have altered granitic rocks and detritus of the Mineral Range pluton, Utah. Petrographic, x-ray, and chemical methods were used to characterize systematic changes in chemistry and mineralogy. Major alteration zones include: 1) an advanced argillic zone in the upper 30 feet of altered detritus containing alunite, opal, vermiculite, and relic quartz; 2) an argillic zone from 30 feet to 105 feet containing kaolinite, muscovite, and minor alunite; and 3) a propylitic zone from 105 to 200 feet containing muscovite, pyrite, marcasite, montmorillonite, and chlorite in weakly altered quartz monzonite. Comparison of the alternation mineral assemblages with known water chemistry and equilibrium activity diagrams suggests that a simple solution equilibrium model cannot account for the alteration. A model is proposed in which upward moving thermal water supersaturated with respect to quartz and a downward moving cool water undersaturated with respect to quartz produces the observed alteration. An estimate of the heat flow contributions from hydrothermal alteration was made by calculating reaction enthalpies for alteration reactions at each depth.

• Research Organization: Utah Univ., Salt Lake City (USA). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
• DOE Contract Number: AS07-76ID01601
• OSTI ID: 5984607
• Report Number(s): DOE/ID/01601-T9; ON: DE82003934
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150201* -- Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems-- USA-- (-1989)
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
ALUMINIUM SULFATES
ALUNITE
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORITE MINERALS
CLAYS
EQUILIBRIUM
GEOCHEMISTRY
GRANITES
Geothermal Legacy
HEAT FLOW
HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION
IGNEOUS ROCKS
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
KAOLINITE
KGRA
MARCASITE
MATERIALS
MICA
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
MONTMORILLONITE
MUSCOVITE
NORTH AMERICA
ORES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROGRAPHY
PLUTONIC ROCKS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM SULFATES
PYRITE
PYRITES
QUARTZ
ROCKS
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
ROOSEVELT HOT SPRINGS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SULFATES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR ORES
THERMAL WATERS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
USA
UTAH