Surface Water Sampling At Raft River Geothermal Area (1973)

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

=====

Exploration Activity: Surface Water Sampling At Raft River Geothermal Area (1973)

Exploration Activity Details
Location	Raft River Geothermal Area
Exploration Technique	Surface Water Sampling
Activity Date	1973
Usefulness	not indicated
DOE-funding	Unknown

Exploration Basis

At least 380 hot springs and wells are known to occur throughout the central and southern parts of Idaho.

Notes

One hundred twenty-four of 380 hot springs and wells in the central and southern parts of Idaho were inventoried as a part of the study reported on herein. At the spring vents and wells visited, the thermal waters flow from rocks ranging in age from Precambrian to Holocene and from a wide range of rock types-igneous, metamorphic, and both consolidated and unconsolidated sediments. Twenty-eight of the sites visited occur on or near fault zones while a greater number were thought to be related to faulting. Measured water temperatures at the 124 wells and springs inventoried ranged from 12 to 93⁰C and averaged 50⁰C. Estimated aquifer temperatures, calculated using the silica and the sodium-potassium-calcium geochemical thermometers, range from 5 to 370⁰C and averaged 110⁰C. Estimated aquifer temperatures in excess of 140⁰C were found at 42 sites.

References

• Young, H. W.; Mitchell, J. C.   (1 May 1973) Geothermal investigations in Idaho. Part 1. Geochemistry and geologic setting of selected thermal waters