CD-2: Orogenic Belt

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

CD-2: Orogenic Belt:

A sedimentary reservoir located within a foreland basin or orogenic mountain belt.

Other definitions:Wikipedia Reegle

Moeck-Beardsmore Play Types

This classification scheme was developed by Moeck and Beardsmore, as reported in A New 'Geothermal Play Type' Catalog: Streamlining Exploration Decision Making.

• Convection-Dominated Systems
  • Magmatic Geothermal Play Type
    • CV-1a: Extrusive
    • CV-1b: Intrusive
  • Plutonic Geothermal Play Type
    • CV-2a: Recent or Active Volcanism
    • CV-2b: Inactive Volcanism
  • CV-3: Extensional Domain
• Conduction-Dominated Systems
  • CD-1: Intracratonic Basin
  • CD-2: Orogenic Belt
  • CD-3: Crystalline Rock - Basement

When two continental plates collide, the plates form an orogeny, a mountain building event. (ref: www.studyblue.com)

According to Moeck and Beardsmore, an orogenic belt geothermal play incorporates a sedimentary reservoir within a foreland basin or orogenic mountain belt. Significant crustal subsidence (up to several kilometers) occurs in sedimentary sequences. This subsidence is due to the weight of the thickened orogenic belt and erosional loading from mountain belts on non-thickened crust. This bending allows water to flow, creating an aquifer near the orogenic belt. The location of this aquifer results in increased temperatures.

Known conductive geothermal plays in orogenic belts include the Molasse Basin in the Southern Canadian Cordillera.

According to Moeck and Beardsmore, conductive geothermal plays in orogenic belts typically have the following properties:

• Geologic Setting – Fold-and-thrust Belts, Foreland Basins
• Heat Source/Storage Properties of Reservoir – High Porosity/High Permeability or High Porosity/Low Permeability Sedimentary Aquifers
• Dominant Heat Transport Mechanism – Fault/Fracture Controlled, Litho/Biofacies Controlled

Examples

Want to add an example to this list? Select a Geothermal Resource Area to edit its "Moeck-Beardsmore Play Type" property using the "Edit with Form" option.

CSV

Geothermal Resource Area	Geothermal Region	Control Structure	Host Rock Age	Host Rock Lithology	Mean Capacity	Mean Reservoir Temp
Garching Geothermal Area	Germany Geothermal Region				2 MW 2,000 kW 2,000,000 W 2,000,000,000 mW 0.002 GW 2.0e-6 TW
Unterhaching Geothermal Area	Molasse Basin - Foreland basin of the alps		Jurrasic	Limestone		395.15 K 122 °C 251.6 °F 711.27 °R