Contribution of the Paragenetic Sequence of Clay Minerals to Re-Examination of the Alteration Zoning in the Krafla Geothermal System

Pressure and stress perturbations associated with volcanic activity and geothermal production can modify the porosity and permeability of volcanic rock, influencing hydrothermal convection, the distribution of pore fluids and pressures, and the ease of magma outgassing. However, porosity and permeability data for volcanic rock as a function of pressure and stress are rare. We focus here on three porous tuffs from Krafla volcano (Iceland). Triaxial deformation experiments showed that, despite their very similar porosities, the mechanical behavior of the three tuffs differs. Tuffs with a greater abundance of phyllosilicates and zeolites require lower stresses for inelastic behavior. Under hydrostatic conditions, porosity and permeability decrease as a function of increasing effective pressure, with larger decreases measured at pressures above that required for cataclastic pore collapse. During differential loading in the ductile regime, permeability evolution depends on initial microstructure, particularly the initial void space tortuosity. Cataclastic pore collapse can disrupt the low‐tortuosity porosity structure of high‐permeability tuffs, reducing permeability, but does not particularly influence the already tortuous porosity structure of low‐permeability tuffs, for which permeability can even increase. Increases in permeability during compaction, not observed for other porous rocks, are interpreted as a result of a decrease in void space tortuosity as microcracks surrounding collapsed pores connect adjacent pores. Our data underscore the importance of initial microstructure on permeability evolution in volcanic rock. Our data can be used to better understand and model fluid flow at geothermal reservoirs and volcanoes, important to optimize geothermal exploitation and understand and mitigate volcanic hazards.

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Tracking Deep Meteoric Fluid Circulation Along a Regional Detachment Fault Using Field Infrared Spectroscopy

Brikowski,

Madubuike,

McDowell

et al. 2024

Geofluids

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Abundant evidence exists for deep crustal penetration of meteoric fluids along faults, including emergence of hot, dilute, and isotopically light geothermal fluids in extensional settings; however, the nature of the fluid conduits supporting this rapid circulation from surface to the brittle‐ductile transition and back remains mysterious. Metamorphic core complexes (MCCs) are the sites of rapid exhumation of rocks from that depth, and their associated detachment faults are known loci of fluid migration. This study utilizes spot infrared (IR) spectroscopy of drill core and outcrop to unravel the fluid history of the late‐Neogene Silver Peak‐Lone Mountain MCC and detachment fault (SPLMDF) in SW Nevada. That history begins with Mesozoic regional burial metamorphism of Paleozoic sediments, minor late Mesozoic contact metamorphism by silicic intrusives, followed by upwelling of hot metamorphic fluids after detachment initiation (11 MYA), later circulation of moderate‐temperature meteoric‐geothermal fluids, and young (< 5 MYA) hot epithermal fluids upwelling along detachment‐cutting normal faults. Each of these stages is characterized by distinct changes in sheet silicate mineral crystallinity and hydration. These are conveniently summarized by maturity indicators based on IR absorption peak ratios, for example, illite spectral maturity (ISM). Burial metamorphism up to greenschist facies is indicated by steadily increasing ISM versus depth in core from a detachment‐penetrating geothermal exploration borehole. A sharp decrease in ISM characterizes the detachment damage zone, accompanied by reappearance of smectite, zeolite, and abundant iron oxides, indicating much cooler alteration by meteoric‐origin fluids. Low‐ISM zones are concentrated in the damage zone ± 10 m from the fault, resulting from an accumulation of very narrow alteration bands (10–50 cm wide). About 1/3 of the SPLMDF fault trace exhibits this low‐temperature circulation. Another third of the trace is overprinted by postdetachment epithermal alteration with extreme ISM, often in zones extending along the detachment near cross‐cutting normal faults.

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Contribution of the Paragenetic Sequence of Clay Minerals to Re-Examination of the Alteration Zoning in the Krafla Geothermal System

Cited by 5 publications

References 68 publications

Geothermal Reservoirs Modeling and Simulation Using Classical Methods

Geothermal Reservoirs Modeling and Simulation Using Classical Methods

Compaction and Permeability Evolution of Tuffs From Krafla Volcano (Iceland)

Tracking Deep Meteoric Fluid Circulation Along a Regional Detachment Fault Using Field Infrared Spectroscopy

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