ISSN:
1420-9136
Keywords:
Silica geothermometer
;
Regional heat flow
;
Geothermal energy
;
Ground water circulation
;
United States
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
Notes:
Abstract Application of the silica geothermometer to over 70,000 non-thermal groundwaters from the United States has shown that there is a correlation between the average silica geotemperatures for a region (T SiO2 in °C) and the known regional heat flow (q in mW m−2) of the form: 1 $$TSiO_2 = mq + b$$ wherem andb are constants determined to be 0.67°C m2 mW−1 and 13.2°C respectively. The physical significance of ‘b’ is the mean annual air temperature. The slope ‘m’ is related to the minimum average depth to which the groundwaters may circulate. This minimum depth is estimated to be between 1.4 and 2.0 km depending on the rock type. A preliminary heat flow map based on equation (1) is presented using theT SiO2 for new estimates of regional heat flow where conventional data are lacking. Anomalously high localT SiO2 values indicate potential geothermal areas.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00879749
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