A Preliminary Geochemical Description of the Geothermal Reservoir at Astor Pass, Northern Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Samples from a well drilled in the Astor Pass area six-km north of the Needle Rocks area of Pyramid Lake indicate that the reservoir fluid is dominantly sodium, chloride, and sulfate, with a pH between 8.6 and 8.9. The total dissolved solids in the reservoir is approximately 1600 mg/l, about half that of the TDS of the fluids in the Needle Rocks area. One sample of dissolved gas from fluids produced during a well test in the reservoir had 4He value of 2.32 x 1014 atoms 4He/g water, or approximately 100 times the value of atmospheric 4He. This measurement, in conjunction with a R/Ra measurement of 0.28, suggests that most of the reservoir helium is derived from the crust, with possibly a small value (~3.3 percent) derived from the mantle. Tritium concentration of the sample was 0.09 TU, indicating that the reservoir fluid was recharged more than 60 years ago; a simple model based upon carbon-14 suggests recharge has occurred within the past 1500 years.
- Research Organization:
- Desert Research Institute (DRI), Reno, NV (United States); Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0002842
- OSTI ID:
- 1110504
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-Pyramid-2842-CC1
- Journal Information:
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, Vol. 36; Conference: Geothermal Resources Council 2012 Annual Meeting, Reno, NV, Fall, 2013, Reno, NV (United States), 30 Sep - 3 Oct 2012
- Publisher:
- Geothermal Resources Council, Davis, CA (United States)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
3-Dimensional Geologic Modeling Applied to the Structural Characterization of Geothermal Systems: Astor Pass, Nevada, USA
3D characterization of a Great Basin geothermal system: Astor Pass, NV