| Title | Geochemistry of Thermal Waters of Pauzhetsky-Kambalny-koshelevsky Geothermal Area (Southern Kamchatka, Russia) |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kalacheva E.G., Koroleva G.P., Rychagov S.N. |
| Year | 2010 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | hydrogeochemistry, thermal waters, geothermal area, water-rock interaction |
| Abstract | The Pauzhetsky-Kambalny-Koshelev geothermal area is one of the largest areas of Kamchatka, characterized by intensive and diverse hydrothermal activity. The hydrothermal activity takes place on the surface in the form of boiling and hot springs (Pauzhetsky, Ozernovsky, Sivuchinsky, etc.). Numerous streams of steam and gas and thermal springs (“hydrosolfataras”) connected with them are confined to slopes of the Kambalny ridge and Koshelev volcano. The investigated area has drawn attention of researchers for a long time. The area was most studied in the second half of the XX-th century during complex geological, geophysical, and hydrogeological studies of the Pauzhetsky hydrothermal deposit. Since 1967 on the basis of the deposit the Pauzhetsky geothermal power plant with an installed capacity of 11 MWe has been operated. Rated operational reserves of the Nizhne-Koshelev geothermal deposit are 90 MWe. As a result of authors’ field works in 2005-2008, the new data on geochemistry of thermal waters were obtained. Three basic geochemical groups of thermal waters were identified. They differ by physical and chemical parameters and have various conditions of formation. Acidic thermal waters (рН = 2.1-5) with high content of NH4, with a temperature of 68-98оС and total mineralization of 1 g/l are discharged on the volcanoes. In the valley of the Pauzhetka river neutral (рН = 7.2-7.4) sulphatic waters with a temperature of 75-80оС and total mineralization of 1-1.5 g/l are discharged. Deep-seated alkaline (рН = 8) chloride-sodium hydrothermae with a temperature of 92-96оС and mineralization of 3-3.4 g/l are detected by wells. The implemented thermodynamic simulation has allowed estimating the degree of saturation of thermal waters of geothermal area in relation to various minerals. |