A new and economically attractive type of geothermal resource was recently discovered in the Krafla volcanic system, Iceland, consisting of supercritical water at 450 °C immediately above a 2-km deep magma body. Although utilizing such supercritical resources could multiply power production from geothermal wells, the abundance, location and size of similar resources are undefined. Here we present the first numerical simulations of supercritical geothermal resource formation, showing that they are an integral part of magma-driven geothermal systems. Potentially exploitable resources form in rocks with a brittle–ductile transition temperature higher than 450 °C, such as basalt. Water temperatures and enthalpies can exceed 400 °C and 3 MJ kg−1, depending on host rock permeability. Conventional high-enthalpy resources result from mixing of ascending supercritical and cooler surrounding water. Our models reproduce the measured thermal conditions of the resource discovered at Krafla. Similar resources may be widespread below conventional high-enthalpy geothermal systems.
High-temperature geothermal systemsSystems with temperatures >225 °C. Here, it is denoted that geothermal resources are ones where fluids are present, allowing for power generation using flash and/or binary power plant technology.
Recent Icelandic rifting events have illuminated the roles of centralized crustal magma reservoirs and lateral magma transport1–4, important characteristics of mid-ocean ridge magmatism1,5. A consequence of such shallow crustal processing of magmas4,5 is the overprinting of signatures that trace the origin, evolution and transport of melts in the uppermost mantle and lowermost crust6,7. Here we present unique insights into processes occurring in this zone from integrated petrologic and geochemical studies of the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. Geochemical analyses of basalts erupted during the first 50 days of the eruption, combined with associated gas emissions, reveal direct sourcing from a near-Moho magma storage zone. Geochemical proxies, which signify different mantle compositions and melting conditions, changed at a rate unparalleled for individual basaltic eruptions globally. Initially, the erupted lava was dominated by melts sourced from the shallowest mantle but over the following three weeks became increasingly dominated by magmas generated at a greater depth. This exceptionally rapid trend in erupted compositions provides an unprecedented temporal record of magma mixing that filters the mantle signal, consistent with processing in near-Moho melt lenses containing 107–108 m3 of basaltic magma. Exposing previously inaccessible parts of this key magma processing zone to near-real-time investigations provides new insights into the timescales and operational mode of basaltic magma systems.
a b s t r a c tNumerical modeling is a powerful tool to investigate the response of high-enthalpy geothermal systems to production, yet few studies have examined the long-term evolution and thermal structure of these systems. Here we report a series of numerical simulations of fluid flow and heat transfer around magmatic intrusions which reveal key features of the natural thermal and hydraulic structures of high-enthalpy geothermal systems. We explore the effect of key geologic controls, such as host rock permeability, the emplacement depth and geometry of the intrusion, and temperature-dependent permeability near the intrusion, on the depth and extent of boiling zones, the number and spatial configuration of upflow plumes, and how these aspects evolve over the systems' lifetime. Host rock permeability is a primary control on the general structure, temperature distribution and extent of boiling zones, as systems with high permeability (≥10 −14 m 2 ) show shallow boiling zones restricted to ≤1 km depth, while intermediate permeability (∼10 −15 m 2 ) systems display vertically extensive boiling zones reaching from the surface to the intrusion. Intrusion emplacement depth is a further control, as intermediate permeability systems driven by an intrusion at ≥3 km depth only show boiling above 1 km. If a cooling intrusion becomes permeable at temperatures significantly in excess of the critical temperature of water, the enthalpy of the upflow becomes high enough that systems with high permeability show vertically extensive boiling zones, and intermediate permeability systems spatially extensive zones of supercritical water near the intrusion. The development of multiple, spatially separated upflow plumes above a single intrusive body is characteristic of systems with high permeability and deep emplacement depth. Depending on the primary geologic controls, systems exhibit characteristic lateral and vertical gradients in pressure, temperature and enthalpy relative to the intrusive heat source which may aid in geothermal exploration and interpretation of field measurements.
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