| Title | Application of Spontaneous Potential in the Geothermal Area La Soledad, México |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cecilia LORENZO, Esteban JIMENEZ, Javier LERMO, Antony FINIZOLA |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal exploration, geophysics, structures, spontaneous potential (SP), La Soledad. |
| Abstract | The Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) through the Geothermal Projects Management (GPG), evaluates the energy potential of the heat sources of the Mexican Republic, in geothermal areas currently allowed for CFE by the Secretariat of Energy (SENER). The foregoing, with objective to contribute to the coverage of the growing demand in the supply of electrical energy through the development of new generation geothermal fields. The complementary technique called Spontaneous Potential (SP) was applied for the first time in the exploration of geothermal areas in Mexico. In this article we present the results of its application in the geothermal area of La Soledad, Jalisco. The results of the application of the technique allowed to obtain the following: Existence of an anomaly of Spontaneous Potential towards the Southeast (SE) of the geothermal area of La Soledad (up to 185 mV) between the towns of Huaxtla and San Lorenzo with a tendency NE-SW. The anomaly is related to areas of high permeability and Hydrothermal systems by the correlation with the geochemical information and electrical resistivity of the place. Five earthquakes were recorded that were located East (E) of Huilotán and San Lorenzo (approximately 1 km), with depths between 3 and 3.5 km. The seismicity defines a fault plane in the WNW-ESE direction that matches the active fault system of La Soledad. This fault plane limits the North with the Spontaneous Potential anomaly and, probably conducts the geothermal fluids of the place. According to the SP anomaly and low S wave velocity, and the local seismicity registered in the area, in correlation with the geochemical information and the electrical resistivity anomalies, it was delimited an area of probable geothermal potential of approximately 5 km2 to the Southeast of the geothermal area of La Soledad in the surroundings of the town of Huaxtla. It is noted that the area of possible greater geothermal potential extends to the South outside the area delimited for this study, due to what was observed in the anomaly of Poisson's coefficient. The applied methodology of SP, and the use of already known techniques for the corroboration of results such as the analysis of local seismicity, were ideal to define and delimit the extension of the Hydrothermal System in the geothermal area of La Soledad, as well as to identify the active fault system of the region by which probably ascend the fluids that cause the thermal springs of the area and the electrical resistivity anomalies observed. |