Water Sampling

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Exploration Technique: Water Sampling

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• Details
• Activities (63)
• Areas (51)
• Regions (5)
• NEPA(2)

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Exploration Technique Information
Exploration Group:	Field Techniques
Exploration Sub Group:	Field Sampling
Parent Exploration Technique:	Field Sampling
Information Provided by Technique
Lithology:
Stratigraphic/Structural:
Hydrological:	Water composition and source of fluids
Thermal:	Water temperature

Water Sampling:

Water sampling is done to characterize the chemical, thermal, or hydrological properties of a surface or subsurface aqueous system.

Other definitions:Wikipedia Reegle

 

Introduction

"Water sampling is done to characterize the geothermal system under investigation. A geothermal water typically has a unique chemical signature that is developed by the dynamic hydrothermal system. Water samples can be taken from surface a spring or geyser, a drilled well, or from a certain depth in a well. [[File:Water_Sampling.jpg|thumb|500px|center|Water samples in standard sample vials. Photo from the Rutgers University Website." cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

Water sampling is done to characterize the geothermal system under investigation. A geothermal water typically has a unique chemical signature that is developed by the dynamic hydrothermal system. Water samples can be taken from surface a spring or geyser, a drilled well, or from a certain depth in a well.

Water samples in standard sample vials. Photo from the Rutgers University Website.

 

Use in Geothermal Exploration

• "Water sampling is routinely used in geothermal exploration and monitoring to characterize the chemical composition of the fluid, measure the temperature, or conduct isotope studies to derive the provenance of thermal waters. Water sampling is a critical aspect of characterizing a geothermal system because the water chemistry, temperature and source can reveal the quality of the resource. Water chemistry is largely controlled by temperature, water-rock interactions, volume of water vs rock, residence time, and contributions from other fluids (mixing), such as cold groundwater, seawater, magmatic fluids, etc.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Waters that reach the surface may be over saturated with silica or carbonate at surface conditions and precipitate sinter or travertine, respectively.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' Some geothermal fluids that reach the surface form acid-sulfate springs, generated from rising steam and volatile compounds that condense and mix with an overlying freshwater aquifer, whereupon the H2S in the steam oxidizes to form sulfuric acid.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000000B-QINU`"' Geothermal waters typically range in total dissolved solids (TDS) from a few hundred to > 350,000 parts per million (ppm). '"`UNIQ--ref-0000000D-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000000F-QINU`"' Liquid dominated reservoirs usually have a composition dominated by Na, K and Cl, but in very saline systems reservoir waters can be Na, K, Ca, and Cl rich.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000011-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"' Silica and trace element (As, B, Br, and Li) concentrations tend to be high compared to the average meteoric waters, and pH is generally between 6 and 9, although acidic saline liquids can also be associated with geothermal systems (as described above).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000015-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000017-QINU`"'" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.
• The given value was not understood.

Water sampling is routinely used in geothermal exploration and monitoring to characterize the chemical composition of the fluid, measure the temperature, or conduct isotope studies to derive the provenance of thermal waters. Water sampling is a critical aspect of characterizing a geothermal system because the water chemistry, temperature and source can reveal the quality of the resource. Water chemistry is largely controlled by temperature, water-rock interactions, volume of water vs rock, residence time, and contributions from other fluids (mixing), such as cold groundwater, seawater, magmatic fluids, etc. Waters that reach the surface may be over saturated with silica or carbonate at surface conditions and precipitate sinter or travertine, respectively. Some geothermal fluids that reach the surface form acid-sulfate springs, generated from rising steam and volatile compounds that condense and mix with an overlying freshwater aquifer, whereupon the H2S in the steam oxidizes to form sulfuric acid.

Geothermal waters typically range in total dissolved solids (TDS) from a few hundred to > 350,000 parts per million (ppm). Liquid dominated reservoirs usually have a composition dominated by Na, K and Cl, but in very saline systems reservoir waters can be Na, K, Ca, and Cl rich. Silica and trace element (As, B, Br, and Li) concentrations tend to be high compared to the average meteoric waters, and pH is generally between 6 and 9, although acidic saline liquids can also be associated with geothermal systems (as described above).

 

Related Techniques

"<br>

• Field Sampling
  • Gas Sampling
    • Gas Flux Sampling
    • Soil Gas Sampling
    • Surface Gas Sampling
  • Rock Sampling
  • Soil Sampling
  • Water Sampling
    • Groundwater Sampling
    • [[Surface Water Sampling|Surface Water Sampling" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

Field Sampling

• Gas Sampling
  • Gas Flux Sampling
  • Soil Gas Sampling
  • Surface Gas Sampling
• Rock Sampling
• Soil Sampling
• Water Sampling
  • Groundwater Sampling
  • Surface Water Sampling

 

Field Procedures

The given value was not understood.

There are various types of water sampling techniques; this is largely due to the dynamic and constantly changing fluids that are moving through a geothermal system. Waters can either be sampled from geothermal wells or from springs, geysers, meteoric-dominated water bodies and discharges, and condensed fumarole steam at the surface. The methods and instruments for taking geothermal water samples are much different than non-thermal or ambient meteoric waters. This is largely due to the dissolved constituents in the water being very far out of equilibrium at surface conditions, making it challenging to get a representative sample. Arnorsson et al., (2006) and Brown & Simmons (2003) provide brief discussions of the various downhole sampling methods and of systems that are sampled for geothermal exploration.

 

Best Practices

Surface and downhole water sampling are fundamental tools in geothermal exploration, and are typically subjected to chemical and isotopic analyses in order to characterize hydrothermal systems and allow for estimation of reservoir temperatures through the application of various chemical geothermometers. Data from these analyses can also provide useful information regarding the source of thermal fluids and help to constrain the age of the hydrothermal system.

 

References

Page	Area	Activity Start Date	Activity End Date	Reference Material
Water Sampling (Healy, 1970)	Unspecified			Pre-Investigation Geological Appraisal Of Geothermal Fields
Water Sampling (Lewicki & Oldenburg, 2004)	Unspecified			Strategies For Detecting Hidden Geothermal Systems By Near-Surface Gas Monitoring
Water Sampling At Alvord Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Alvord Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Belknap-Foley-Bigelow Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Belknap-Foley-Bigelow Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Beowawe Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Beowawe Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Blackfoot Reservoir Area (Hutsinpiller & Parry, 1985)	Blackfoot Reservoir Area			Geochemistry And Geothermometry Of Spring Water From The Blackfoot Reservoir Region, Southeastern Idaho
Water Sampling At Breitenbush Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Breitenbush Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Buffalo Valley Hot Springs Area (Laney, 2005)	Buffalo Valley Hot Springs Area			Federal Geothermal Research Program Update - Fiscal Year 2004
Water Sampling At Central Nevada Seismic Zone Region (Laney, 2005)	Central Nevada Seismic Zone Geothermal Region			Federal Geothermal Research Program Update - Fiscal Year 2004
Water Sampling At Coso Geothermal Area (1977-1978)	Coso Geothermal Area	1977	1978	Hydrogeologic investigation of Coso Hot Springs, Inyo County, California. Final report October 1977--January 1978
Water Sampling At Crane Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Crane Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Dixie Valley Geothermal Area (Kennedy & Soest, 2006)	Dixie Valley Geothermal Area	2004	2005	A Helium Isotope Perspective On The Dixie Valley, Nevada, Hydrothermal System
Water Sampling At Dixie Valley Geothermal Area (Wood, 2002)	Dixie Valley Geothermal Area	1997	2001	Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Fenton Hill HDR Geothermal Area (Rao, Et Al., 1996)	Fenton Hill HDR Geothermal Area	1982	1996	Sources Of Chloride In Hydrothermal Fluids From The Valles Caldera, New Mexico- A 36Cl Study
Water Sampling At Hawthorne Area (Lazaro, Et Al., 2010)	Hawthorne Area			United States Department Of The Navy Geothermal Exploration Leading To Shallow And Intermediate-Deep Drilling At Hawthorne Ammunition Depot, Hawthorne, Nv
Water Sampling At Heber Area (Wood, 2002)	Heber Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Hot Lake Area (Wood, 2002)	Hot Lake Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Hualalai Northwest Rift Area (Thomas, 1986)	Hualalai Northwest Rift Area			Geothermal Resources Assessment In Hawaii
Water Sampling At International Geothermal Area, New Zealand (Wood, 2002)	International Geothermal Area New Zealand			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At International Geothermal Area, Philippines (Wood, 2002)	International Geothermal Area Philippines			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Jemez Springs Area (Goff, Et Al., 1981)	Jemez Springs Area			Geology, Water Geochemistry And Geothermal Potential Of The Jemez Springs Area, Canon De San Diego, New Mexico
Water Sampling At Jemez Springs Area (Rao, Et Al., 1996)	Jemez Springs Area			Sources Of Chloride In Hydrothermal Fluids From The Valles Caldera, New Mexico- A 36Cl Study
Water Sampling At Jemez Springs Geothermal Area (Trainer, 1974)	Jemez Springs Geothermal Area	1949	1974	Groundwater in the Southwestern Part of the Jemez Mountains Volcanic Region, New Mexico
Water Sampling At Kauai Area (Thomas, 1986)	Kauai Area			Geothermal Resources Assessment In Hawaii
Water Sampling At Kilauea East Rift Geothermal Area (FURUMOTO, 1976)	Kilauea East Rift Geothermal Area	1974	1974	A Coordinated Exploration Program for Geothermal Sources on the Island of Hawaii
Water Sampling At Kilauea East Rift Geothermal Area (Thomas, 1986)	Kilauea East Rift Geothermal Area	1978	1987	Geothermal Resources Assessment In Hawaii
Water Sampling At Lightning Dock Geothermal Area (Swanberg, 1976)	Lightning Dock Geothermal Area			Geothermal Studies in Southwest New Mexico
Water Sampling At Lightning Dock Geothermal Area (Witcher, 2006)	Lightning Dock Geothermal Area			GRED Studies and Drilling of Americulture State 2, Americulture Tilapia Farm: Lightning Dock KGRA, Las Animas Valley, New Mexico
Water Sampling At Little Valley Area (Wood, 2002)	Little Valley Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area (Evans, Et Al., 2002)	Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area		2002	Tracing And Quantifying Magmatic Carbon Discharge In Cold Groundwaters- Lessons Learned From Mammoth Mountain, USA
Water Sampling At Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area (Goff, Et Al., 1991)	Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area	1985	1986	A Sr-Isotopic Comparison Between Thermal Waters, Rocks, And Hydrothermal Calcites, Long Valley Caldera, California
Water Sampling At Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area (McKenzie & Truesdell, 1977)	Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area	1976	1976	Geothermal Reservoir Temperatures Estimated from the Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Dissolved Sulfate and Water from Hot Springs and Shallow Drillholes Geochemistry of Thermal Waters in Long Valley, Mono County, California
Water Sampling At Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area (Sorey, Et Al., 1991)	Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area	1985	1986	New Evidence On The Hydrothermal System In Long Valley Caldera, California, From Wells, Fluid Sampling, Electrical Geophysics, And Age Determinations Of Hot-Spring Deposits Hydrologic and Geochemical Monitoring in Long Valley Caldera, Mono County, California, 1985 Hydrologic and Geochemical Monitoring in Long Valley Caldera, Mono County, California, 1986 Temperature Data From Wells in Long Valley Caldera, California
Water Sampling At Lualualei Valley Area (Thomas, 1986)	Lualualei Valley Area			Geothermal Resources Assessment In Hawaii
Water Sampling At Mccredie Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Mccredie Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Mickey Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Mickey Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Mokapu Penninsula Area (Thomas, 1986)	Mokapu Penninsula Area			Geothermal Resources Assessment In Hawaii
Water Sampling At Mt Princeton Hot Springs Geothermal Area (Olson & Dellechaie, 1976)	Mt Princeton Hot Springs Geothermal Area	1976	1976	The Mount Princeton geothermal area, Chaffee County, Colorado
Water Sampling At Mt Ranier Area (Frank, 1995)	Mt Rainier Area			Surficial Extent And Conceptual Model Of Hydrothermal System At Mount Rainier, Washington
Water Sampling At Mt St Helens Area (Shevenell & Goff, 1995)	Mt St Helens Area			Evolution Of Hydrothermal Waters At Mount St Helens, Washington, Usa
Water Sampling At Northern Basin & Range Region (Laney, 2005)	Northern Basin and Range Geothermal Region			Federal Geothermal Research Program Update - Fiscal Year 2004
Water Sampling At Nw Basin & Range Region (Laney, 2005)	Northwest Basin and Range Geothermal Region			Federal Geothermal Research Program Update - Fiscal Year 2004
Water Sampling At Reese River Area (Henkle, Et Al., 2005)	Reese River Area			Mercury Geochemical, Groundwater Geochemical, And Radiometric Geophysical Signatures At Three Geothermal Prospects In Northern Nevada
Water Sampling At Rhodes Marsh Area (Coolbaugh, Et Al., 2006)	Rhodes Marsh Area			Quaternary Borate Deposits As A Geothermal Exploration Tool In The Great Basin
Water Sampling At Roosevelt Hot Springs Geothermal Area (Faulder, 1991)	Roosevelt Hot Springs Geothermal Area	1982	1987	Conceptual Geologic Model and Native State Model of the Roosevelt Hot Springs Hydrothermal System
Water Sampling At Salt Wells Area (Coolbaugh, Et Al., 2006)	Salt Wells Geothermal Area	2005	2005	Surface Indicators of Geothermal Activity at Salt Wells, Nevada, USA, Including Warm Ground, Borate Deposits, and Siliceous Alteration Our Evolving Knowledge Of Nevada's Geothermal Resource Potential
Water Sampling At Salt Wells Area (Henkle, Et Al., 2005)	Salt Wells Area		2005	Mercury Geochemical, Groundwater Geochemical, And Radiometric Geophysical Signatures At Three Geothermal Prospects In Northern Nevada
Water Sampling At Salt Wells Area (Shevenell & Garside, 2003)	Salt Wells Geothermal Area	2002	2002	Geochemical Sampling of Thermal Waters in Nevada
Water Sampling At Salton Sea Area (Wood, 2002)	Salton Sea Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Silver Peak Area (Henkle, Et Al., 2005)	Silver Peak Area			Mercury Geochemical, Groundwater Geochemical, And Radiometric Geophysical Signatures At Three Geothermal Prospects In Northern Nevada
Water Sampling At Teels Marsh Area (Coolbaugh, Et Al., 2006)	Teels Marsh Area			Quaternary Borate Deposits As A Geothermal Exploration Tool In The Great Basin
Water Sampling At Twenty-Nine Palms Area (Page, Et Al., 2010)	Twenty-Nine Palms Geothermal Area			Field Investigations And Temperature-Gradient Drilling At Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center (Mcagcc), Twenty-Nine Palms, Ca
Water Sampling At Umpqua Hot Springs Area (Wood, 2002)	Umpqua Hot Springs Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool
Water Sampling At Valles Caldera - Redondo Area (Rao, Et Al., 1996)	Valles Caldera - Redondo Geothermal Area	1996	1996	Sources Of Chloride In Hydrothermal Fluids From The Valles Caldera, New Mexico- A 36Cl Study
Water Sampling At Valles Caldera - Redondo Geothermal Area (Goff, Et Al., 1982)	Valles Caldera - Redondo Geothermal Area		1982	Geochemical Data for 95 Thermal and Nonthermal Waters of the Valles Caldera - Southern Jemez Mountains Region, New Mexico
Water Sampling At Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Area (Rao, Et Al., 1996)	Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area	1982	1996	Sources Of Chloride In Hydrothermal Fluids From The Valles Caldera, New Mexico- A 36Cl Study
Water Sampling At Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area (Goff, Et Al., 1982)	Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area		1982	Geochemical Data for 95 Thermal and Nonthermal Waters of the Valles Caldera - Southern Jemez Mountains Region, New Mexico
Water Sampling At Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area (Trainer, 1974)	Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area	1949	1974	Groundwater in the Southwestern Part of the Jemez Mountains Volcanic Region, New Mexico
Water Sampling At Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes Region Area (Keith, Et Al., 1992)	Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes Region Area			Geochemistry Of Waters In The Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes Region, Alaska
Water Sampling At Walker-Lane Transitional Zone Region (Laney, 2005)	Walker-Lane Transition Zone Geothermal Region			Federal Geothermal Research Program Update - Fiscal Year 2004
Water Sampling At Waunita Hot Springs Geothermal Area (Carpenter, 1981)	Waunita Hot Springs Geothermal Area	1974	1974	Interpretation of Water Sample Analysis, Waunita Hot Spring Project, Gunnison County, Colorado
Water Sampling At Yellowstone Region (Hurwitz, Et Al., 2007)	Yellowstone Caldera Geothermal Region			Spatial And Temporal Geochemical Trends In The Hydrothermal System Of Yellowstone National Park- Inferences From River Solute Fluxes
Water Sampling At Zim's Hot Springs Geothermal Area (Wood, 2002)	Zim's Hot Springs Geothermal Area			Behavior Of Rare Earth Element In Geothermal Systems, A New Exploration-Exploitation Tool

1. Unspecified
2. Alvord Hot Springs Area
3. Belknap-Foley-Bigelow Hot Springs Area
4. Beowawe Hot Springs Area
5. Blackfoot Reservoir Area
6. Breitenbush Hot Springs Area
7. Buffalo Valley Hot Springs Area
8. Central Nevada Seismic Zone Geothermal Region
9. Coso Geothermal Area
10. Crane Hot Springs Area
11. Dixie Valley Geothermal Area
12. Fenton Hill HDR Geothermal Area
13. Hawthorne Area
14. Heber Area
15. Hot Lake Area
16. Hualalai Northwest Rift Area
17. International Geothermal Area New Zealand
18. International Geothermal Area Philippines
19. Jemez Springs Area
20. Jemez Springs Geothermal Area
21. Kauai Area
22. Kilauea East Rift Geothermal Area
23. Lightning Dock Geothermal Area
24. Little Valley Area
25. Long Valley Caldera Geothermal Area
26. Lualualei Valley Area
27. Mccredie Hot Springs Area
28. Mickey Hot Springs Area
29. Mokapu Penninsula Area
30. Mt Princeton Hot Springs Geothermal Area
31. Mt Rainier Area
32. Mt St Helens Area
33. Northern Basin and Range Geothermal Region
34. Northwest Basin and Range Geothermal Region
35. Reese River Area
36. Rhodes Marsh Area
37. Roosevelt Hot Springs Geothermal Area
38. Salt Wells Geothermal Area
39. Salt Wells Area
40. Salton Sea Area
41. Silver Peak Area
42. Teels Marsh Area
43. Twenty-Nine Palms Geothermal Area
44. Umpqua Hot Springs Area
45. Valles Caldera - Redondo Geothermal Area
46. Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area
47. Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes Region Area
48. Walker-Lane Transition Zone Geothermal Region
49. Waunita Hot Springs Geothermal Area
50. Yellowstone Caldera Geothermal Region
51. Zim's Hot Springs Geothermal Area

1. Central Nevada Seismic Zone Geothermal Region
2. Northern Basin and Range Geothermal Region
3. Northwest Basin and Range Geothermal Region
4. Walker-Lane Transition Zone Geothermal Region
5. Yellowstone Caldera Geothermal Region

Document #	Analysis Type	Applicant	Geothermal Area	Lead Agency	District Office	Field Office	Mineral Manager	Surface Manager	Development Phase(s)	Techniques
NVN-091276	CU	University of Nevada	Desert Queen Geothermal Area	Bureau of Land Management	BLM Winnemucca District Office	BLM Humboldt River Field Office	Bureau of Land Management	Bureau of Land Management	Geothermal/Exploration	Water Sampling
NVN-091277	CU	Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology	Pinto Hot Springs Geothermal Area	Bureau of Land Management	BLM Winnemucca District Office		Bureau of Land Management	Bureau of Land Management	Geothermal/Exploration	Water Sampling

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