GRC 2003: Great Basin Geothermal GIS

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Geothermal GIS of the Great Basin, USA defining
regional controls and favorable exploration
terrain Mark Coolbaugh, Great Basin Center
for Geothermal Energy Don Sawatzky, Arthur Brant
Laboratory for Exploration Geophysics
Gary Oppliger, Arthur Brant Laboratory for
Exploration Geophysics Tim Minor, Desert Research
Institute Gary Raines, United States Geological
Survey Lisa Shevenell, Nevada Bureau of Mines and
Geology Geoff Blewitt, Nevada Bureau of Mines an
d Geology John Louie, Nevada Seismological Labora
tory
See text of talk below slides
Talk at annual GRC meeting Morelia, MX. 15 Oct
2003 Work supported by the U.S. Department of En
ergy, Assistant Secretary Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy under DOE Golden Field Office
Financial Assistance Awards DE-FG07-02ID14311
DE-FG36-02ID14311
Photo courtesy Don Hudson
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Newberry Crater
Geothermal Systems in Nevada Great Basin, USA
Big Southern Butte
China Hat
Borax Lake
Medicine Lake
Roosevelt/ Cove Fort
Mammoth
Coso
Boundary of Great Basin
Current capacity 600 MWe
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Includes Research papers, presentations, links,
and a comprehensive data set, including
http//www.unr.edu/geothermal
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Digital data on geothermal geophysics geochemi
stry
geology
Geothermal GIS 23 layers in ArcView 3.3 project f
ile
40 layers of data total
http//www.unr.edu/geothermal
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http//www.unr.edu/geothermal
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http//www.unr.edu/geothermal
ArcExplorer 4.0 ArcView ArcGIS
ArcIMS Interactive maps
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Geo-Heat Center Geochemical Database
Major elements, Li, B, F, field temperature, geot
hermometers, charge balance, references.

Combination of 21 spreadsheets
Trend Surface of Maximum Temperatures of Known
Geothermal Systems
in the Great Basin
Warmer colors indicate higher temperatures

Black Dots Geo-Heat Center data points
http//www.unr.edu/geothermal
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Great Basin database of active tectonic strain
derived from GPS stations (2003)
Geoff Blewitt, NBMG Bill Holt, Stony Brook, a
nd others
Maps of extension, shear, dilitation
Contribution of shear to maximum extensive strain
in the Great Basin (warmer colors indicate higher
shear strain)
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Contribution of shear to maximum extensive strain
in the Great Basin (warmer colors indicate higher
shear strain)
Belt
Seismic
? Temp 100C ? extensional geothermal system

? Quaternary silicic volcanics
Sierra Nevada block
Walker Lane
Intermountain
San Andreas Fault
Great Basin boundary
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Contribution of shear to maximum extensive strain
in the Great Basin (warmer colors indicate higher
shear strain)
? Temp 100C ? extensional geothermal system

? Quaternary silicic volcanics
Walker Lane
San Andreas Fault
Bennett et al. Oldow et al.
Jim Faulds, NBMG
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BR
HSZ
Orientation of Major Faults Controlling Fluid
Flow in Nevada Geothermal Systems
Northern Walker Lane WL Black Rock Desert B
R
Central Humboldt Structural Zone HSZ
WL
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West
East
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(No Transcript)
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FLV
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(No Transcript)
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Black Rock/Alvord Desert Trend
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Surprise / Warner V.
Black Rock / Alvord Desert
Humboldt Structural Zone
Central Seismic Belt
Pyramid Lake
Reno
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Leach Hot Springs
Leach H.S.
Kyle H.S.
Good target for more detailed GPS
From Garside Schilling, 1979
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CONCLUSIONS Details of structural model may ch
ange Regional strain pattern helps unravel tect
onics Geothermal structures help unravel tecton
ics Regional tectonics can help local explorati
on
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Summary
GIS data integration and analysis is helping to
clarify the tectonic environment of the Great
Basin Geothermal Database is up and running on
web site at the Great Basin Center for Geothermal
Energy Database compilation is expanding from
Nevada outward to cover the entire Great Basin

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Reno, NV.
The End