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The linear relation between temperatures based on the silica content of groundwater and regional heat flow: A new heat flow map of the United States

  • Exploration, Characterisation and Exploitation of Geothermal Resources
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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:

$$TSiO_2 = mq + b$$
(1)

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Earth Sciences and Physics, New Mexico State University, Box 3D, 88003, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA

    Paul Morgan

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  1. Chandler A. Swanberg
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  2. Paul Morgan
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Swanberg, C.A., Morgan, P. The linear relation between temperatures based on the silica content of groundwater and regional heat flow: A new heat flow map of the United States. PAGEOPH 117, 227–241 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00879749

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00879749

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