| Abstract |
The Valles Caldra is a prominent geological structure located in North Central New Mexico in the Jemez Mountains about 55 miles north of Albuquerque and 40 miles northwest of Santa Fe. Interest in the geothermal potential of the Valles Caldera began accelerating in the 1960s with the drilling of several exploratory wells in the Sulphur Creek and Redondo Creek areas in the caldera. In the early 1970s, drilling activity concentrated in the Redondo Creek area, and at the current time a total of 14 wells has been drilled in this area (Fig. l). The geological characteristics of the Valles Caldera geothermal system were recently summarized by Dondanville (1978), while a more detailed description of the hydrothermal system has been presented by the Union Oil Company (1978). The caldera is a subcircular volcanic collapse feature 12 to 15 miles in diameter, with its walls rising from a few hundred to more than 2,000 feet above the floor. A central resurgent structural dome, Redondo Peak, lies near the center of the caldera, has a relief of nearly 3,000 feet, and is bisected by a northeasterly trending central graben. The Redondo Creek Development Area straddles this graben structure, and is where initial geothermal development in the Valles Caldera is planned. |