Advances in the modeling of the Iberian thermal lithosphere and perspectives on deep geothermal studies

Renewable energy sources are key to achieve the transition toward clean energy system. Among them, the geothermal energy has a production whose effectiveness requires sufficient understanding of the temperature distribution and fluid circulation at depth, as well as of the lithological and petrophysical properties of the crust. The focus of this paper is twofold: first, we summarize the main advances in the development of new methodologies and numerical codes to characterize the properties of the thermal lithosphere in terms of its, temperature, density and composition; second, based on the compilation of available thermal modelling results, we present the depth of the thermal Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB) of the Iberian Peninsula and the temperature distribution at crustal depths of 5, 10, and 20 km, in addition to at Moho level. At 5 km depth, the temperature is above 110 °C with local anomalies (> 130 °C) located in the Iberian Massif and Cenozoic volcanic provinces. A similar pattern is observed at 10 and 20 km depth, where temperatures are above 190 °C and 350 °C, respectively. At 20 km depth, anomalies above > 500 °C, delineate the SE and NE Cenozoic volcanic provinces. At Moho depths, temperature ranges from 450 to 800 °C with hot regions mainly located along the Iberian Massif and the SE and NE volcanic provinces. The compiled results do not show any lithospheric anomaly that could give rise to high temperatures at shallow depths, but they do show an acceptable exploitation potential at intermediate depths. With regard to the direct use of district and greenhouse heating and for industrial processes, the potential is great throughout the Peninsula, the main challenges being the availability of groundwater and drilling costs

pilotSTRATEGY project 2021-2026: “CO2 Geological Pilots in Strategic Territories”

[EN] The pilotSTRATEGY (2021-2026) is investigating geological CO2 storage sites in industrial regions to support development of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS). It is focused on deep saline aquifers–porous rock formations filled with brine several kilometres below ground – which promise a large capacity for storing captured CO2. The goal of the characterisation is to assess the site’s containment, injectivity, capacity, integrity, hydrodynamics, and monitorability in order to ensure safe and permanent storage of CO2. PilotSTRATEGY covers the initial stages of project development up to the pre-final investment decision (pre-FID), regulatory approval and permitting of storage, and applied on selected structures of Paris Basin in France, the Lusitanian Basin in Portugal and the Ebro Basin in Spain, and in lower detail, in West Macedonia in Greece and Upper Silesia in Poland.The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (10.1 million Euros, No. 101022664).Peer reviewe

Dietary α‐Linolenic Acid, Marine ω‐3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α‐linolenic acid (ALA), a plant‐derived ω‐3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω‐3 fatty acids (long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). Methods and Results: We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated to walnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9‐y follow‐up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios for meeting ALA recommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56–0.92) for all‐cause mortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58–1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios for meeting the recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–1.05) for all‐cause mortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39–0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29–0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22–1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all‐cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45–0.87]). Conclusions: In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all‐cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish‐derived long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.Controlled-trials.com/. Unique identifier: ISRCTN35739639

El código HYDROTHERM como herramienta de integración de la geofísica en prospección geotérmica

[EN] The use of numerical codes in simulating geothermal reservoirs is one of the most powerful tools for integrating geology, geochemistry, and geophysics in high enthalpy geothermal research processes. This paper summarizes some examples of USGS HYDROTHERM code application results on the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Tenerife, which are considered very different geothermal models. The first island has normal geothermal gradient, the second has magmatic bodies near the surface and Tenerife has a comparison between geophysical techniques to determine the recharge-discharge flows of the Cañadas-Teide system. In the first two islands there are boreholes that allow adjusting and validating the models, whereas Tenerife or La Palma have been studied using the same methodology but lack verification boreholes. Nevertheless, their model results are consistent with other geophysical techniques. This highlights the great potential of this code as an integrating tool for the different prospecting techniques to understand geothermal system operations and determine the most suitable location for deep exploration drilling. The significant benefit of this code is the capability to reproduce different evolutionary and casuistry models reliably using the same geological and thermal parameters for all islands.[ES] La utilización de códigos numéricos en la simulación de yacimientos geotérmicos constituye una de las herramientas actuales más potentes de integración de la geología, geoquímica y geofísica en los procesos de investigación geotérmica de alta entalpía. En el presente trabajo se resumen algunos ejemplos de los resultados de la aplicación del código HYDROTHERM del USGS en las islas de Gran Canaria, Lanzarote y Tenerife por considerarse modelos geotérmicos muy diferentes: la primera con gradiente geotérmico normal, la segunda con cuerpos magmáticos cercanos a la superficie y Tenerife con una comparativa entre técnicas geofísicas para determinar los flujos de recarga-descarga del sistema Cañadas-Teide. En las dos primeras islas existen sondeos que permiten ajustar y validar los modelos. Tenerife o La Palma, han sido también estudiadas con la misma metodología, pero carecemos de sondeos de comprobación, aunque los resultados del modelo resulten coincidentes con otras técnicas geofísicas. Se pone así de manifiesto su gran potencial como herramienta integradora de las diferentes técnicas prospectivas para comprender el funcionamiento del sistema geotérmico y determinar la ubicación más idónea de los sondeos de reconocimiento profundo. La mayor bondad de este código ha sido que, empleando los mismos parámetros geológicos y térmicos para todas las islas, se han logrado reproducir modelos evolutivos y casuísticas muy diferentes con excelentes resultados.Esta publicación ha sido posible gracias a dos programas RETOS: (a) ELECTROVOLCÁN. Proyecto RTC-2017-6628-3: Diseño y desarrollo experimental de prototipos para la generación de electricidad mediante efecto termoeléctrico en anomalías geotérmicas superficiales de origen volcánico: Aplicación en los sistemas volcánicos de Timanfaya (Lanzarote) y Teide (Tenerife). (b) TERMOVOLCÁN. Proyecto RTC-2017-66287-3: Diseño y desarrollo experimental de una metodología multiparamétrica para la exploración de recursos geotérmicos ocultos de alta entalpía en Canarias.Peer reviewe

Geothermal resources evaluation: Using O&G exploration data to evaluate low and medium enthalpy resources from deep sedimentary reservoirs

[EN] Geological resources of low enthalpy (and in many cases, also of medium enthalpy) are located mainly in large sedimentary basins with normal geothermal gradients in permeable formations (reservoir); fluid (brine) with high content on dissolved salts circulate through the reservoir; by depth and after a high time of circulation through the reservoir, the fluid reach the temperature level corresponding to that depth.Peer reviewe

La construcción de conocimientos de Ciencias Físicas en el ciclo 12-16

Analizar y criticar los aspectos actuales y emergentes de la didáctica de las Ciencias. Desarrollar orientaciones didácticas y materiales para el aula desde una perspectiva de la construcción de los conocimientos como orientación didáctica, fruto de una investigación fundamentada y contrastada. Se han recogido las ideas previas de 120 alumnos de séptimo de EGB y segundo de BUP. La investigación se realiza con 12 alumnos de cada uno de los cursos anteriores. Dos partes. En la 1 se analizan las líneas de investigación asumidas como marco teórico de referencia en la fundamentación del modelo propuesto, en su estructuración y experimentación. La 2 es reflejo detallado de la realización del modelo con las ejemplificaciones de las unidades temáticas experimentadas en los subciclos 12-14 y 14-16. El modelo de enseñanza-aprendizaje que se utiliza con los alumnos de la muestra presenta dos referentes básicos: la indagación en el entramado conceptual del alumno a través de distintas fases como son la orientación, emergencia de ideas, clarificación e intercambio de ideas (basándose parcialmente en el proyecto CLIS). El análisis, por parte del profesor, del entramado conceptual de la materia y de sus niveles de formulación que se plasman en un poster de la Ciencia que aparece en determinados momentos del proceso (categorización científica). La tensión didáctica y la sinergia de los dos referentes propicia el diseño de estrategias de enseñanza y de materiales didácticos. Se propone un clima de investigación dirigida en el aula, que promueva la integración del aprendizaje de conceptos y métodos en un contexto significativo. En la evaluación del proceso se investiga acerca del posible cambio metodológico, actitudinal y conceptual. Test de indagación de ideas previas. Porcentajes, esquemas, tablas. Se ha realizado una evaluación interna del modelo, constatando su idoneidad y limitaciones, destacándose los puntos que podrían constituir los fundamentos de nuevas investigaciones. Se han ejemplificado los enfoques para los siguientes temas: la materia, el movimiento y la luz para cada uno de los ciclos de la Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria. Cada ejemplificación comprende también su evaluación con resultados de los pretests y posttests, networks pre y postintervención, cuadernos de pensar, etc., estableciéndose las correspondientes conclusiones específicas.MadridBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; Fax +34917748026; [email protected]

Advances in the modeling of the Iberian thermal lithosphere and perspectives on deep geothermal studies

Abstract Renewable energy sources are key to achieve the transition toward clean energy system. Among them, the geothermal energy has a production whose effectiveness requires sufficient understanding of the temperature distribution and fluid circulation at depth, as well as of the lithological and petrophysical properties of the crust. The focus of this paper is twofold: first, we summarize the main advances in the development of new methodologies and numerical codes to characterize the properties of the thermal lithosphere in terms of its, temperature, density and composition; second, based on the compilation of available thermal modelling results, we present the depth of the thermal Lithosphere–Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB) of the Iberian Peninsula and the temperature distribution at crustal depths of 5, 10, and 20 km, in addition to at Moho level. At 5 km depth, the temperature is above 110 °C with local anomalies (> 130 °C) located in the Iberian Massif and Cenozoic volcanic provinces. A similar pattern is observed at 10 and 20 km depth, where temperatures are above 190 °C and 350 °C, respectively. At 20 km depth, anomalies above > 500 °C, delineate the SE and NE Cenozoic volcanic provinces. At Moho depths, temperature ranges from 450 to 800 °C with hot regions mainly located along the Iberian Massif and the SE and NE volcanic provinces. The compiled results do not show any lithospheric anomaly that could give rise to high temperatures at shallow depths, but they do show an acceptable exploitation potential at intermediate depths. With regard to the direct use of district and greenhouse heating and for industrial processes, the potential is great throughout the Peninsula, the main challenges being the availability of groundwater and drilling costs

Geoenergy Group

[EN] One of the key elements that have allowed the astonishing socio-cultural and economic development achieved in Europe during the last part of the 20th century is the use of fossil fuels as energy source. However, it has been proved that these types of energy sources affect the global climate and increased the amount of pollutants in nature. Our society is now immersed in a global and sustainable energy transition period that will entail the use of clean energy. The GeoEnergy group works on this direction with the creation of geological and technological knowledge on clean energy, both from the subsurface sources such as geothermal energy, and the search, characterization, and evaluation of geological storage sites for energy (H2, CH4 or compressed air) and greenhouse gases (CO2).Peer reviewe