Subsurface geology of the Raft River geothermal area, Idaho

Conference · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Trans. - Geotherm. Resour. Counc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6167814

Covington, H R

The Raft River Valley occupies an upper Cenozoic structural basin filled with nearly 1600 m of fluvial silt, sand, and gravel. Rapid facies and thickness changes, steep initial dips (30/sup 0/C), and alteration make correlation of basin-fill depositional units very difficult. Hydrothermal alteration products in the form of clays and zeolites, and deposition of secondary calcite and silica increase with depth. The abundance of near-vertical open fractures also increases with depth, allowing greater movement of hydrothermal fluids near the base of the Cenozoic basin fill. The basin is floored with quartzites and schists that can be correlated with formations in the nearby Raft River Range. Beneath these rocks is a Precambrian adamellite basement complex. The Raft River geothermal system is a hot water convective system relying on deep circulation of meteoric water in a region of high geothermal gradients and open fractures near the base of the Tertiary basin fill.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Denver, CO
• OSTI ID: 6167814
• Report Number(s): CONF-800920-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trans. - Geotherm. Resour. Counc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150201* -- Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems-- USA-- (-1989)
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BOREHOLES
CALCITE
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CAVITIES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLAYS
DRILLING
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FAILURES
FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
GROUND WATER
HOT-WATER SYSTEMS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION
HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS
IDAHO
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
KGRA
MATERIALS
METEORIC WATER
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION
RAFT RIVER VALLEY
ROCKS
SAND
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SILICA
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
USA
WATER
WELL DRILLING
ZEOLITES