Preliminary Report on the Feasibility of Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry to Image Localized Strain as a Discriminator of Geothermal Resources

Most producing geothermal fields and known geothermal resources in the Basin and Range province are associated with Quaternary active fault systems, within which hydrothermal fluids are presumed to circulate from depth to relatively shallow production levels through high permeability fractures. Research at the Dixie Valley field by Barton et al. (1997) indicates that hydraulically conductive fractures within the Stillwater fault zone are those that have orientations such that the fractures are critically stressed for normal shear failure under the regional tectonic stress field. In general, therefore, we might expect geothermal resources to occur in areas of high inter-seismic strain accumulation, and where faults are favorably oriented with respect to the regional strain tensor; in the case of Basin and Range normal faults, these would generally be faults striking normal to the direction of maximum extension. Expanding this hypothesis, Blewitt et al. (2003), based on preliminary, broad-scale analysis of regional strain and average fault strike in the northwestern Basin and Range, have proposed that geothermal resources occur in areas where fault-normal extension associated with shear strain is the greatest. Caskey and Wesnousky (2000) presented evidence that the Dixie Valley field occupies a 10 km-long gap between prehistoric Holocene ruptures of the fault segments on either side. Modeled maximum shear and Coulomb failure stress are high within the gap owing to the stress concentrations at the ends of the ruptures. These results suggest that a major contributing factor to the enhanced permeability at fault-hosted geothermal systems may be localized stress and strain concentrations within fault zone segments. This notion is generally consistent with the common occurrence of geothermal fields within fault offsets (pull-aparts) along strike-slip fault systems, where the local strain field has a large extensional component (e.g., Salton Sea and Coso). Blewitt et al. (2003) suggested that resources correlate with abrupt changes in fault orientation and with changes in the direction of extensional strain

Inversion of synthetic aperture radar interferograms for sourcesof production-related subsidence at the Dixie Valley geothermalfield

We used synthetic aperture radar interferograms to imageground subsidence that occurred over the Dixie Valley geothermal fieldduring different time intervals between 1992 and 1997. Linear elasticinversion of the subsidence that occurred between April, 1996 and March,1997 revealed that the dominant sources of deformation during this timeperiod were large changes in fluid volumes at shallow depths within thevalley fill above the reservoir. The distributions of subsidence andsubsurface volume change support a model in which reduction in pressureand volume of hot water discharging into the valley fill from localizedupflow along the Stillwater range frontal fault is caused by drawdownwithin the upflow zone resulting from geothermal production. Our resultsalso suggest that an additional source of fluid volume reduction in theshallow valley fill might be similar drawdown within piedmont faultzones. Shallow groundwater flow in the vicinity of the field appears tobe controlled on the NW by a mapped fault and to the SW by a lineament ofas yet unknown origin

Detecting and monitoring UCG subsidence with InSAR

The use of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to measure surface subsidence caused by Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is tested. InSAR is a remote sensing technique that uses Synthetic Aperture Radar images to make spatial images of surface deformation and may be deployed from satellite or an airplane. With current commercial satellite data, the technique works best in areas with little vegetation or farming activity. UCG subsidence is generally caused by roof collapse, which adversely affects UCG operations due to gas loss and is therefore important to monitor. Previous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of InSAR in measuring surface subsidence related to coal mining and surface deformation caused by a coal mining roof collapse in Crandall Canyon, Utah is imaged as a proof-of-concept. InSAR data is collected and processed over three known UCG operations including two pilot plants (Majuba, South Africa and Wulanchabu, China) and an operational plant (Angren, Uzbekistan). A clear f eature showing approximately 7 cm of subsidence is observed in the UCG field in Angren. Subsidence is not observed in the other two areas, which produce from deeper coal seams and processed a smaller volume. The results show that in some cases, InSAR is a useful tool to image UCG related subsidence. Data from newer satellites and improved algorithms will improve effectiveness

Vaccine refusal: a preliminary interdisciplinary investigation

Many people who generally receive standard recommended inoculations refuse to partake of COVID-19 vaccines, preventatives that are effective, safe, and life-saving amidst the current pandemic. Our quest is to understand this puzzling and dangerous phenomenon, as it exists among US and UK citizens, whom in other respects would be regarded as quite regular. We will discuss Vaccine Refusal compared with two better understood phenomena: addiction, and akrasia, along with the related matters of human action, intention, agency, will, and identity. Vaccine Refusal, we will argue, appears to be rewarded by “informational reinforcement” leading to heightened arousal, along with increases in self-esteem resulting from “bucking the trend,” asserting one's “superior” understanding, and “tribal identity” in acting against social norms. These factors provide an overall reward amounting to satisfaction that outweighs the well-known consequences of COVID-19 infections. Our investigations will also lead us to a pair of epistemological hypotheses about two subtypes of the Vaccine Refusers under consideration here

Force-matched embedded-atom method potential for niobium

Large-scale simulations of plastic deformation and phase transformations in alloys require reliable classical interatomic potentials. We construct an embedded-atom method potential for niobium as the first step in alloy potential development. Optimization of the potential parameters to a well-converged set of density-functional theory (DFT) forces, energies, and stresses produces a reliable and transferable potential for molecular dynamics simulations. The potential accurately describes properties related to the fitting data, and also produces excellent results for quantities outside the fitting range. Structural and elastic properties, defect energetics, and thermal behavior compare well with DFT results and experimental data, e.g., DFT surface energies are reproduced with less than 4% error, generalized stacking-fault energies differ from DFT values by less than 15%, and the melting temperature is within 2% of the experimental value.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, 7 table

Initial Report on the Development of a Monte Carlo-Markov Chain Joint Inversion Approach for Geothermal Exploration

Geothermal exploration and subsequent characterization of potential resources typically employ a variety of geophysical, geologic and geochemical techniques. However, since the data collected by each technique provide information directly on only one or a very limited set of the many physical parameters that characterize a geothermal system, no single method can be used to describe the system in its entirety. Presently, the usual approach to analyzing disparate data streams for geothermal applications is to invert (or forward model) each data set separately and then combine or compare the resulting models, for the most part in a more or less ad hoc manner. However, while each inversion may yield a model that fits the individual data set, the models are usually inconsistent with each other to some degree. This reflects uncertainties arising from the inevitable fact that geophysical and other exploration data in general are to some extent noisy, incomplete, and of limited sensitivity and resolution, and so yield non-unique results. The purpose of the project described here is to integrate the different model constraints provided by disparate geophysical, geological and geochemical data in a rigorous and consistent manner by formal joint inversion. The objective is to improve the fidelity of exploration results and reservoir characterization, thus addressing the goal of the DOE Geothermal Program to improve success in exploration for economically viable resources by better defining drilling targets, reducing risk, and improving exploration/drilling success rates

Double Difference Earthquake Locations at the Salton Sea Geothermal Reservoir

The purpose of this paper is to report on processing of raw waveform data from 4547 events recorded at 12 stations between 2001 and 2005 by the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF) seismic network. We identified a central region of the network where vertically elongated distributions of hypocenters have previously been located from regional network analysis. We process the data from the local network by first autopicking first P and S arrivals; second, improving these with hand picks when necessary; then, using cross-correlation to provide very precise P and S relative arrival times. We used the HypoDD earthquake location algorithm to locate the events. We found that the originally elongated distributions of hypocenters became more tightly clustered and extend down the extent of the study volume at 10 Km. However, we found the shapes to depend on choices of location parameters. We speculate that these narrow elongated zones of seismicity may be due to stress release caused by fluid flow