Detection and characterization of hydraulically active fractures in a carbonate aquifer: results from self-potential, temperature and fluid electrical conductivity logging in the Combioula hydrothermal system in the southwestern Swiss Alps

A geophysical and geochemical study has been conducted in a fractured carbonate aquifer located at Combioula in the southwestern Swiss Alps with the objective to detect and characterize hydraulically active fractures along a 260-m-deep borehole. Hydrochemical analyses, borehole diameter, temperature and fluid electrical conductivity logging data were integrated in order to relate electrokinetic self-potential signals to groundwater flow inside the fracture network. The results show a generally good, albeit locally variable correlation of variations of the self-potential signals with variations in temperature, fluid electrical conductivity and borehole diameter. Together with the hydrochemical evidence, which was found to be critical for the interpretation of the self-potential data, these measurements not only made it possible to detect the hydraulically active fractures but also to characterize them as zones of fluid gain or fluid loss. The results complement the available information from the corresponding litholog and illustrate the potential of electrokinetic self-potential signals in conjunction with temperature, fluid electrical conductivity and hydrochemical analyses for the characterization of fractured aquifers, and thus may offer a perspective for an effective quantitative characterization of this increasingly important class of aquifers and geothermal reservoir

Comparing FRACHEM and TOUGHREACT for reactive transport modelingof brine-rock interactions in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)

Coupled modelling of fluid flow and reactive transport ingeothermal systems is challenging because of reservoir conditions such ashigh temperatures, elevated pressures and sometimes high salinities ofthe formation fluids. Thermal hydrological-chemical (THC) codes, such asFRACHEM and TOUGHREACT, have been developed to evaluate the long-termhydrothermal and chemical evolution of exploited reservoirs. In thisstudy, the two codes were applied to model the same geothermal reservoir,to forecast reservoir evolution using respective thermodynamic andkinetic input data. A recent (unreleased) TOUGHREACT version allows theuse of either an extended Debye-Hu?ckel or Pitzer activity model forcalculating activity coefficients, while FRACHEM was designed to use thePitzer formalism. Comparison of models results indicate that differencesin thermodynamic equilibrium constants, activity coefficients andkinetics models can result in significant differences in predictedmineral precipitation behaviour and reservoir-porosity evolution.Differences in the calculation schemes typically produce less differencein model outputs than differences in input thermodynamic and kineticdata, with model results being particularly sensitive to differences inion-interaction parameters for highsalinity systems

Molecular phylogeny and timing of diversification in Alpine Rhithrogena (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae).

BACKGROUND: Larvae of the Holarctic mayfly genus Rhithrogena Eaton, 1881 (Ephemeroptera, Heptageniidae) are a diverse and abundant member of stream and river communities and are routinely used as bio-indicators of water quality. Rhithrogena is well diversified in the European Alps, with a number of locally endemic species, and several cryptic species have been recently detected. While several informal species groups are morphologically well defined, a lack of reliable characters for species identification considerably hampers their study. Their relationships, origin, timing of speciation and mechanisms promoting their diversification in the Alps are unknown. RESULTS: Here we present a species-level phylogeny of Rhithrogena in Europe using two mitochondrial and three nuclear gene regions. To improve sampling in a genus with many cryptic species, individuals were selected for analysis according to a recent DNA-based taxonomy rather than traditional nomenclature. A coalescent-based species tree and a reconstruction based on a supermatrix approach supported five of the species groups as monophyletic. A molecular clock, mapped on the most resolved phylogeny and calibrated using published mitochondrial evolution rates for insects, suggested an origin of Alpine Rhithrogena in the Oligocene/Miocene boundary. A diversification analysis that included simulation of missing species indicated a constant speciation rate over time, rather than any pronounced periods of rapid speciation. Ancestral state reconstructions provided evidence for downstream diversification in at least two species groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our species-level analyses of five gene regions provide clearer definitions of species groups within European Rhithrogena. A constant speciation rate over time suggests that the paleoclimatic fluctuations, including the Pleistocene glaciations, did not significantly influence the tempo of diversification of Alpine species. A downstream diversification trend in the hybrida and alpestris species groups supports a previously proposed headwater origin hypothesis for aquatic insects

Hydrogeochemistry of the Qualibou Caldera Geothermal System, St. Lucia, West Indies

Interpretation of hydrogeochemical data and supporting geologic and electric resistivity data have been used to define the basic structure of the Qualibou Caldera geothermal system and propose a model of hydrologic flow. The geothermal system at Sulphur Springs consists of three layers: (1) an upper steam condensate zone; (2) an intermediate vapor zone, which may be restricted to the Sulphur Springs area only; and (3) a lower brine zone. Four lines of evidence suggest that temperatures of the brine layer may exceed 230/sup 0/C at depths of perhaps 1 km. Outlying thermal springs along the northwest side of the caldera do not indicate derivation from underlying high-temperature sources. It is suggested that the main reservoir upflows in the Belfond-Sulphur Springs area and flows laterally in the subsurface toward the northwest caldera wall

Comparing FRACHEM and TOUGHREACT for reactive transport modeling of brine-rock interactions in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)

Coupled modelling of fluid flow and reactive transport in geothermal systems is challenging because of reservoir conditions such as high temperatures, elevated pressures and sometimes high salinities of the formation fluids. Thermal hydrological-chemical (THC) codes, such as FRACHEM and TOUGHREACT, have been developed to evaluate the long-term hydrothermal and chemical evolution of exploited reservoirs. In this study, the two codes were applied to model the same geothermal reservoir, to forecast reservoir evolution using respective thermodynamic and kinetic input data. A recent (unreleased) TOUGHREACT version allows the use of either an extended Debye-Hu?ckel or Pitzer activity model for calculating activity coefficients, while FRACHEM was designed to use the Pitzer formalism. Comparison of models results indicate that differences in thermodynamic equilibrium constants, activity coefficients and kinetics models can result in significant differences in predicted mineral precipitation behaviour and reservoir-porosity evolution. Differences in the calculation schemes typically produce less difference in model outputs than differences in input thermodynamic and kinetic data, with model results being particularly sensitive to differences in ion-interaction parameters for highsalinity systems

Roosevelt Hot Springs/hot-dry-rock prospect and evaluation of the Acord 1-26 well

Previous hot, dry rock (HDR) geothermal resource evaluation efforts have identified the Roosevelt Hot Springs KGRA as a prime HDR target. The size of the HDR resource is estimated to be at least eight times larger than the adjacent hydrothermal resource. Further research activities to evaluate this HDR resource have involved review of data from the Acord hot dry well, the seismic structure of the area, fluid geochemistry, and hydrology of a shallow aquifer. These recent results are summarized and the most likely HDR prospect area is identified