Thermal springs and active fault network of the central Colca River basin, Western Cordillera, Peru

Ciesielczuk, Justyna; Gaidzik, Krzysztof; Paulo, Andrzej; Tyc, Andrzej; Postawa, Adam; Żaba, Jerzy; Alvarez, Pablo Jorge Masías

doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2022.107513

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The effects of these complex interactions between magmatism, faulting, and topography on hydrothermal system differentiation have also been evidenced in other Peruvian provinces, such as the Arequipa region (Tyc et al, 2022;Alvarez-Campos et al, 2022) and the Cordillera Blanca (Scott et al, 2020).These hydrothermal circulations induce significant deformations of the isotherms. The geothermal gradient increases near volcanoes, as well as along faults where thermal springs are located.…”

Section: Conceptual Model Of the Tacna Hydrothermal Systemsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Characterization of Southern Peru hydrothermal systems: New perspectives for geothermal exploration along the Andean forearc

Taillefer,

Truche

et al. 2024

Preprint

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This study provides a comprehensive characterization of various hydrothermal sys- tems in Southern Peru ranging from the faulted Precordillera’s steep topography up to the volcanic High Cordillera (>4000 m asl). The objective is to investigate thermal anoma- lies that may potentially serve as new geothermal resources.Our integrated approach com- bines: i) geochemistry from 14 hot springs sampled throughout the Tacna region, and ii) 3D numerical modeling of coupled groundwater and heat transfer considering topog- raphy and faults embedded in homogeneous permeability. Water and gas analysis indi- cates that the springs located near volcanoes discharge Na-K-Cl waters with high tem- peratures (>87°C), high Total Dissolved Solid concentrations (TDS >3452 mg/L), and free gases dominated by CO2 (>90 vol%). Springs located along the regional faults in the Precordillera discharge Ca-SO4 and Na-K-Cl waters with moderate temperatures (27- 53°C), intermediate TDS concentrations (464-2458 mg/L), radiocarbon ages between 1.4 and 7.9 kyr, and free gases dominated by N2 (>95 vol%). The Aruma springs, which are located at the transition between the High and the Precordillera, display intermediate characteristics. Numerical models accurately replicate the locations and temperatures of the fault-related springs only for permeable faults (>10 m), revealing the creation of 100-km long thermal plumes along faults, locally rising up the 150°C-isotherm to about ∼ 1000 m below the surface. This approach clearly distinguishes the spring origins, which are volcanic in High Cordillera and tectonic in Precordillera. Moreover, we highlight that steep topographic gradient and permeable reverse faults in the Andean forearc may gen- erate considerable thermal anomalies, opening perspectives for the geothermal exploration.

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Section: Conceptual Model Of the Tacna Hydrothermal Systemsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Characterization of Southern Peru hydrothermal systems: New perspectives for geothermal exploration along the Andean forearc

Taillefer,

Truche

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The effects of these complex interactions between magmatism, faulting, and topography on hydrothermal system differentiation have also evidenced in other Peruvian provinces, such as the region (Alvarez-Campos al., 2022;Tyc et 2022) and the Cordillera Blanca (Scott et al, 2020). These hydrothermal circulations induce significant deformations of the isotherms.…”

Section: Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Southern Peru Hydrothermal Systems: New Perspectives for Geothermal Exploration Along the Andean Forearc

Taillefer,

Truche,

Audin

et al. 2024

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study provides a comprehensive characterization of various hydrothermal systems in Southern Peru ranging from the faulted Precordillera's steep topography up to the volcanic High Cordillera (>4,000 m asl). The objective is to investigate thermal anomalies that may potentially serve as new geothermal resources. Our integrated approach combines: (a) geochemistry from 14 hot springs sampled throughout the Tacna region, and (b) 3D numerical modeling of coupled groundwater and heat transfer considering topography and faults embedded in homogeneous permeability. Water and gas analysis indicates that the springs located near volcanoes discharge Na‐K‐Cl waters with high temperatures (>87°C), high Total Dissolved Solid concentrations (TDS >3,452 mg/L), and free gases dominated by CO2 (>90 vol%). Springs located along the regional faults in the Precordillera discharge Ca‐SO4 and Na‐K‐Cl waters with moderate temperatures (27–53°C), intermediate TDS concentrations (464–2,458 mg/L), radiocarbon ages between 1.4 and 7.9 kyr, and free gases dominated by N2 (>95 vol%). The Aruma springs, which are located at the transition between the High and the Precordillera, display intermediate characteristics. Numerical models accurately replicate the locations and temperatures of the fault‐related springs only for permeable faults (>10−14 m2), revealing the creation of 100‐km long thermal plumes along faults, locally rising up the 150°C‐isotherm to about ∼1,000 m below the surface. This approach clearly distinguishes the spring origins, which are volcanic in High Cordillera and tectonic in Precordillera. Moreover, we highlight that steep topographic gradient and permeable reverse faults in the Andean forearc may generate considerable thermal anomalies, opening perspectives for the geothermal exploration.

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Sulfuric acid caves of the world: A review

De Waele,

D'Angeli,

Audra

et al. 2024

Earth-Science Reviews

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Thermal springs and active fault network of the central Colca River basin, Western Cordillera, Peru

Cited by 5 publications

References 34 publications

Characterization of Southern Peru hydrothermal systems: New perspectives for geothermal exploration along the Andean forearc

Characterization of Southern Peru hydrothermal systems: New perspectives for geothermal exploration along the Andean forearc

Characterization of Southern Peru Hydrothermal Systems: New Perspectives for Geothermal Exploration Along the Andean Forearc

Sulfuric acid caves of the world: A review

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