Geothermal low-temperature reservoir assessment in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. Final report
Sixty-four shallow temperature gradient holes were drilled on the Mesilla Valley East Mesa (east of Interstate Highways 10 and 25), stretching from US Highway 70 north of Las Cruces to NM Highway 404 adjacent to Anthony, New Mexico. Using these data as part of the site selection process, Chaffee Geothermal, Ltd. of Denver, Colorado, drilled two low-temperature geothermal production wells to the immediate north and south of Tortugas Mountain and encountered a significant low-temperature reservoir, with a temperature of about 150{sup 0}F and flow rates of 750 to 1500 gallons per minute at depths from 650 to 1250 feet. These joint exploration activities resulted in the discovery and confirmation of a 30-square-mile low-temperature geothermal anomaly just a few miles to the east of Las Cruces that has been newly named as the Las Cruces east Mesa Geothermal Field. Elevated temperature and heat flow data suggest that the thermal anomaly is fault controlled and extends southward to the Texas border covering a 100-square-mile area. With the exception of some localized perturbations, the anomaly appears to decrease in temperature from the north to the south. Deeper drilling is required in the southern part of the anomaly to confirm the existence of commercially-exploitable geothermal waters.
- Research Organization:
- New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces (USA). New Mexico Energy Inst.
- OSTI ID:
- 6801873
- Report Number(s):
- NMERDI-2-69-2202; ON: DE84901823
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Geothermal low-temperature reservoir assessment in northern Dona Ana County, New Mexico. Final report
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