| Title | A New Geothermal Exploration Program at Los Humeros Volcanic and Geothermal Field (Eastern Mexican Volcanic Belt) |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gerardo CARRASCO, Jorge ARZATE, Juan Pablo BERNAL, Jaime CARRERA, Fidel CEDILLO, Pablo DÁVILA, Javier HERNANDEZ, Shaul HURWITZ, Javier LERMO, Gilles LEVRESSE, Penélope LOPEZ, Vlad MANEA, Gianluca NORINI, Edgar SANTOYO, Chris WILLCOX |
| Year | 2015 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Geothermal exploration, Los Humeros, Mexico, conceptual model, volcanic calderas |
| Abstract | The government of Mexico has initiated a national plan to develop alternative sources of energy. As part of this program, studies are carried out to improve methods that will result in increased energy production from existing geothermal fields. We will carry out an extensive study at the Los Humeros geothermal field in the Eastern Mexican Volcanic Belt, the third largest field in Mexico which is currently producing about 50 MWe. The geothermal field is is situated in a Quaternary volcanic complex that includes two nested calderas; the older formed following a catastrophic eruption of the 115 km3 Xaltipan ignimbrite at 0.5 Ma and the younger caldera formed following the eruption of the 15 km3 Zaragoza ignimbrite at 0.14 Ma. Several other large explosive and effusive eruptions occurred in the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The heterogeneous and irregular magma reservoir of the volcanic complex is a long-lived heat source and the deep faults control fluid flow and heat transport. To better understand the dynamic and heterogeneous permeability structure of the volcanic complex, detailed, innovative, and multi-disciplinary studies are required. The goal of our research program is to develop a quantitative model that integrates results from geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys, allowing for an improved assessment of geothermal resources in Los Humeros. We will take advantage of modern and innovative technologies to obtain better images of subsurface structures, improve the chronology of volcanic processes, and obtain more accurate and quantitative information on fluid flow, heat transport and rates of water-gas-rock interaction. Methods to be used in this study include: detailed mapping of structure and stratigraphy, geochemical characterization of hydrothermal fluids, geochemical and petrographic characterization of volcanic rocks, X-ray tomography of reservoir rocks from core samples to determine the porosity and permeability of source rocks, magnetothelurics and microgravimetry surveys to locate and characterize deep structures, microsismicity to locate active faults through which thermal fluids flow, thermal remote sensing and InSAR (Satellite Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) to detect anomalies at the ground surface associated with hydrothermal processes at depth, and numerical models of fluid flow and heat and mass transport to quantify rates of heat transport from source to surface. |