| Title | Shooting lines and finding mines: A case study of geophysics to locate and characterize mine water thermal resources |
|---|---|
| Authors | D. J. Whittington, N. M. Burnside, C. F. Gillen, P. Sentenac |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | Using flooded, abandoned mine workings as sources of geothermal heating and cooling is a rapidly developing topic worldwide to decrease dependence on fossil fuels and meet energy demands sustainably. However, many projects looking to implement these resources have run into issues during drilling phases. One of the main challenges faced in the implementation of mine water energy schemes is de-risking resource characterization. Hazards associated with resource development include drilling into poorly mapped workings, targeting voids of unknown condition, breaching unmapped historical workings and changes in surface elevation profile since mine abandonment. Such situations increase the risks of environmental, financial and regulatory issues and therefore need to be avoided through more rigorous site investigation. We have performed electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) fieldwork campaigns using an adapted spacing approach to image flooded mine workings at depths of up to 90 m below ground level. Mine shafts and workings at four case study sites across the Midland Valley of Scotland have been surveyed. These surveys demonstrate the viability of our ERT approach for informing drilling campaigns with the overall aim of de-risking access to low-carbon mine water geothermal resources. |