Characterizing volumetric strain at Brady Hot Springs, Nevada, USA using geodetic data, numerical models and prior information
The geothermal field at Brady Hot Springs, Nevada has subsided over the past decade. Between 2004 and 2014, the rate of downward-vertical displacement was on the order of 10 mm yr-1, as measured by two independent geodetic techniques: interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and Global Positioning System. The observed deformation field forms an approximately elliptical bowl that is 4 km long and aligned with the trace of the NNE striking normal fault system. We use modelling to estimate the plausibility of pressure changes or thermal contraction as the cause of the observed subsidence. As a result, Bayesian inference favours with ‘very strong evidence’ thermal contraction over other hypotheses as the dominant driving mechanism for the observed subsidence. Using InSAR data spanning from 2016 July 22 to 2017 August 22, we estimate the volume change rate in the significantly deforming volume to be (-29 ± 3) thousand m3 yr-1 and the total rate of change in thermal energy between -53 and -79 MW. We infer the total volume of cubes where the estimated volumetric strain rate is significantly different from zero with 95 per cent confidence to be 119 million m3. We find that the main region of significant cooling occurs between the injection and production well locations. This result supports the idea that highly permeable conduits along faults channel fluids from shallow aquifers to the deep reservoir tapped by the production wells.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Temple Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Geothermal Technologies Office; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0006760; EE0005510; DGE-1256259; EAR-0810134; EAR-1654649
- OSTI ID:
- 1618457
- Journal Information:
- Geophysical Journal International, Vol. 215, Issue 2; ISSN 0956-540X
- Publisher:
- Oxford University PressCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Geodetic Measurements and Numerical Models of Deformation at Coso Geothermal Field, California, USA, 2004–2016
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journal | January 2020 |
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