Aeromagnetic Survey At Hualalai Northwest Rift Area (Thomas, 1986)

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

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Exploration Activity: Aeromagnetic Survey At Hualalai Northwest Rift Area (Thomas, 1986)

Exploration Activity Details
Location	Hualalai Northwest Rift Area
Exploration Technique	Aeromagnetic Survey
Activity Date
Usefulness	useful
DOE-funding	Unknown

Notes

Aeromagnetic survey data for Hualalai (Godson et al., 1981) clearly indicate an elongate northwest to southeast trending zone of extremely low total magnetic field over the summit region of Hualalai that extends into the upper northwest rift zone. It is extremely unlikely that the summit region is underlain by intrusive material old enough (greater than 700,000 years of age) to have been emplaced during a period of reversed magnetic field; therefore, the only alternative explanation possible (presuming the data are accurate) is that this region is underlain by material with very low magnetic susceptibility. This can be interpreted, then, to indicate that the summit is either underlain by a residual magma body having a temperature in excess of the Curie temperature (greater than 600degrees C) or that there is a zone of very heavy hydrothermal alteration beneath the Hualalai summit.

References

• Donald M. Thomas (1 January 1986) Geothermal Resources Assessment In Hawaii