| Title | Assessment of Igneous Related Geothermal Resources in the Chilean Andes |
|---|---|
| Authors | Diego ARAVENA, Ignacio VILLALON, Pablo SANCHEZ, |
| Year | 2015 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | resource assessment, favorability map, magmatic heat transfer, volcanic system, Chile. |
| Abstract | The Andean volcanic arc includes over 200 active stratovolcanoes and at least 12 giant caldera systems. Nevertheless, there is not a standard procedure for estimating geothermal resources associated with unexplored volcanic systems. A GIS-based method is used for estimating the volume of the volcanic edifice of major volcanic complexes in the zone. This value is used to infer the volume of magma emplaced under each volcano, and applied as a certainty parameter in a igneous related geothermal resource assessment. The method of magmatic heat transfer was applied in the main volcanic complexes of the Chilean Andes. Using principles of conductive heat transfer and volcanology to calculate temperature distribution in time and space following an instantaneous magma emplacement, then calculates potentially recoverable geothermal energy resources. The analysis of resources obtained for volcanoes in the area includes a variety of factors, such as age, temperature and depth of magma emplacement, and establishes a correlation between the resources and the volume of magma emplaced in the upper crust. |