Project Title: Faults and Stress Redistribution as Tools for Geothermal Resource Assessment in the Basin and Range Province of Nevada

Scope

Heat, fluids and fracture permeability are among the primary requisites for the generation of geothermal power. It is generally well accepted in neotectonic studies that springs are commonly located along active faults and, as such the fault systems represent a preferential pathway for fluid flow. There is a good correlation in Nevada between the distribution of thermal springs and the surface trace of active faults.

To prove that stress redistributions are significant in affecting fracture distributions along and in the vicinity of active faults.

Objectives

The objectives are to:

• Examine the role of stress redistribution in the earth's crust which results from slip on active faults in producing and maintaining facture permeability for flow of geothermal fluids

• Use the understanding of stress redistribution to begin producing predictive maps to show where stress in the earth's crust is conducive to maintaining fracture permeability.

Status

Task 1:	Develop a Fault Model
Task 2:	Analyze Existing Geothermal Springs Datasets
Task 3:	Determine Effects of Active Faults in the Vicinity of Active Power Plants
Task 4:	Generate New Geothermal Spring Characterizations

Contact

Gerry Nix
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Bus: (303) 384-7566
E-mail: gerry_nix@nrel.gov