Geothermal Resources Assessment in Hawaii

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984 · Geotherm. Energy Mag.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6115537

Thomas, D M

The Hawaii Geothermal Resources Assessment Program was initiated in 1978. The preliminary phase of this effort identified 20 Potential Geothermal Resource Areas (PGRA's) using available geological, geochemical and geophysical data. The second phase of the Assessment Program undertook a series of field studies, utilizing a variety of geothermal exploration techniques, in an effort to confirm the presence of thermal anomalies in the identified PGRA's and, if confirmed, to more completely characterize them. A total of 15 PGRA's on four of the five major islands in the Hawaiian chain were subject to at least a preliminary field analysis. The remaining five were not considered to have sufficient resource potential to warrant study under the personnel and budget constraints of the program. The island of Kauai was not studied during the current phase of investigation. Geothermal field studies were not considered to be warranted due to the absence of significant geochemical or geophysical indications of a geothermal resource. The great age of volcanism on this island would further suggest that should a thermal resource be present, it would be of low temperature. The geothermal field studies conducted on Oahu focused on the caldera complexes of the two volcanic systems which form the island: Waianae volcano and Koolau volcano. The results of these studies and the interpreted probability for a resource are presented.

• Research Organization: Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, Honolulu, Hawaii
• OSTI ID: 6115537
• Journal Information: Geotherm. Energy Mag.; (United States), Vol. 12
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
HAWAII
BASALT
EVALUATION
GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
GROUND WATER
ISLANDS
MAPPING
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
SOIL CHEMISTRY
VOLCANOES
CHEMISTRY
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION IX
FLUIDS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ROCKS
SURVEYS
USA
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WATER
150101* - Geothermal Energy- Resources & Availability- USA- (-1989)