Compartmentalization of the Coso East Flank geothermal field imaged by 3-D full-tensor MT inversion
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Previous magnetotelluric (MT) studies of the high-temperature Coso geothermal system in California identified a subvertical feature of low resistivity (2–5 Ohm m) and appreciable lateral extent (>1 km) in the producing zone of the East Flank field. However, these models could not reproduce gross 3-D effects in the recorded data. We perform 3-D full-tensor inversion and retrieve a resistivity model that out-performs previous 2-D and 3-D off-diagonal models in terms of its fit to the complete 3-D MT data set as well as the degree of modelling bias. Inclusion of secondary Zxx and Zyy data components leads to a robust east-dip (60†) to the previously identified conductive East Flank reservoir feature, which correlates strongly with recently mapped surface faults, downhole well temperatures, 3-D seismic reflection data, and local microseismicity. We perform synthetic forward modelling to test the best-fit dip of this conductor using the response at a nearby MT station. We interpret the dipping conductor as a fractured and fluidized compartment, which is structurally controlled by an unmapped blind East Flank fault zone.
Study Area
Publication type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | Compartmentalization of the Coso East Flank geothermal field imaged by 3-D full-tensor MT inversion |
Series title | Geophysical Journal International |
DOI | 10.1093/gji/ggw408 |
Volume | 208 |
Issue | 2 |
Year Published | 2017 |
Language | English |
Publisher | Oxford Academic |
Contributing office(s) | Earthquake Science Center |
Description | 11 p. |
First page | 652 |
Last page | 662 |
Country | United States |
Other Geospatial | Coso Range |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |