Quantitative structural–geological exploration of fault-controlled geothermal systems—A case study from the Basin-and-Range Province, Nevada (USA)》.pdf

Geothermics 54 (2015) 54–67 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Geothermics j o u r n a l h o m ep a g e: w w w. elsev /locate/geot hermic s Quantitative structural–geological exploration of fault-controlled geothermal systems—A case study from the Basin-and-Range Province, Nevada (USA) Egbert Jolie a,∗ , Inga Moeck a,b , James E. Faulds c a GFZ German Research Centrefor Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany b TUM Technische Universität München, Arcisstr. 21, 80333 Munich, Germany c Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Fluid-bearing fracture zones are typically the focus of geothermal exploration as preferential targets for Received 7 August 2014 production wells. The ability of fractures to channel fluids is commonly affected by the current stress Accepted 21 October 2014 field. In this study, a three-dimensional structural–geological model of the Brady’s geothermal system Available online 12 December 2014 (Basin-and-Range Province, USA) was developed. We demonstrate that by incorporating slip- and dilation tendencies as a function of the stress field and fault geometry, our 3D-model can efficiently contribute Keywords: to the identification of favorable drilling targets. Geothermal exploration