| Title | Importance of Linkage Zones for Geothermal Exploration in the Rio Grande Rift (Espanola and Santo Domingo Basins, New Mexico): Contribution of Analogue Modelling |
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| Authors | Nicolas DALL'ASTA, Yoann DENELE, Vincent REGARD, Delphine ROUBY, Anne FRAYSSIGNES, Mael DERIAN, Stephane BONNET, Bastien HERMANT |
| Year | 2025 |
| Conference | Stanford Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | linkage zones, Rio Grande rift, analogue modelling, hydrothermal circulations, geothermal exploration |
| Abstract | Linkage zones are areas where two rift segments connect or overlaps with each other. The evolution and structure of these linkage zones is complex and depends on many factors such as crustal rheology, but also the distance between rift segments and the rift obliquity. In other rift settings (e.g., the Tjörnes Fracture Zone in Iceland, Taupo rift in New Zealand or the Basin and Range in the US), the linkage zones are areas of focused hydrothermal circulations and volcanic activity. The Espanola basin and Santo Domingo basin along the Rio Grande rift, north of Albuquerque, is a modern example of a broad linkage. Structural inheritance plays a key role in the localisation of the main rift segments and the orientation of the linkage zone. However, its evolution and kinematic remain poorly understood. We use analogue modelling coupled with lidar acquisitions to better constrain the 3-dimensional strain field through time. The comparison of the model with microstructural data, seismic profiles and thermochronological data allows us to characterise the kinematic evolution of the linkage through time, and therefore better understand the tectonic structures observed today. Our main conclusion is that a low obliquity extension can reproduce all the microstructures and fault patterns observed along the Espanola / Santo Domingo basin. The model also predicts areas of high dilatancy for fluid circulations, aiding geothermal exploration of hidden systems. |