3D Model of the McGinness Hills Geothermal Area

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The McGinness Hills geothermal system lies in a ~8.5 km wide, north-northeast trending accommodation zone defined by east-dipping normal faults bounding the Toiyabe Range to the west and west-dipping normal faults bounding the Simpson Park Mountains to the east. Within this broad accommodation zone lies a fault step-over defined by north-northeast striking, west-dipping normal faults which step to the left at roughly the latitude of the McGinness Hills geothermal system. The McGinness Hills 3D model consists of 9 geologic units and 41 faults. The basal geologic units are metasediments of the Ordovician Valmy and Vininni Formations (undifferentiated in the model) which are intruded by Jurassic granitic rocks. Unconformably overlying is a ~100s m-thick section of Tertiary andesitic lava flows and four Oligocene-to-Miocene ash-flow tuffs: The Rattlesnake Canyon Tuff, tuff of Sutcliffe, the Cambell Creek Tuff and the Nine Hill tuff. Overlying are sequences of pre-to-syn-extensional Quaternary alluvium and post-extensional Quaternary alluvium. 10-15 degrees eastward dip of the Tertiary stratigraphy is controlled by the predominant west-dipping fault set. Geothermal production comes from two west dipping normal faults in the northern limb of the step over. Injection is into west dipping faults in the southern limb of the step over. Production and injection sites are in hydrologic communication, but at a deep level, as the northwest striking fault that links the southern and northern limbs of the step-over has no permeability.

Citation Formats

University of Nevada. (2013). 3D Model of the McGinness Hills Geothermal Area [data set]. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1136727.
Export Citation to RIS
E. Faulds, James. 3D Model of the McGinness Hills Geothermal Area. United States: N.p., 31 Dec, 2013. Web. doi: 10.15121/1136727.
E. Faulds, James. 3D Model of the McGinness Hills Geothermal Area. United States. https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1136727
E. Faulds, James. 2013. "3D Model of the McGinness Hills Geothermal Area". United States. https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1136727. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/363.
@div{oedi_363, title = {3D Model of the McGinness Hills Geothermal Area}, author = {E. Faulds, James.}, abstractNote = {The McGinness Hills geothermal system lies in a ~8.5 km wide, north-northeast trending accommodation zone defined by east-dipping normal faults bounding the Toiyabe Range to the west and west-dipping normal faults bounding the Simpson Park Mountains to the east. Within this broad accommodation zone lies a fault step-over defined by north-northeast striking, west-dipping normal faults which step to the left at roughly the latitude of the McGinness Hills geothermal system. The McGinness Hills 3D model consists of 9 geologic units and 41 faults. The basal geologic units are metasediments of the Ordovician Valmy and Vininni Formations (undifferentiated in the model) which are intruded by Jurassic granitic rocks. Unconformably overlying is a ~100s m-thick section of Tertiary andesitic lava flows and four Oligocene-to-Miocene ash-flow tuffs: The Rattlesnake Canyon Tuff, tuff of Sutcliffe, the Cambell Creek Tuff and the Nine Hill tuff. Overlying are sequences of pre-to-syn-extensional Quaternary alluvium and post-extensional Quaternary alluvium. 10-15 degrees eastward dip of the Tertiary stratigraphy is controlled by the predominant west-dipping fault set. Geothermal production comes from two west dipping normal faults in the northern limb of the step over. Injection is into west dipping faults in the southern limb of the step over. Production and injection sites are in hydrologic communication, but at a deep level, as the northwest striking fault that links the southern and northern limbs of the step-over has no permeability.
}, doi = {10.15121/1136727}, url = {https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/363}, journal = {}, number = , volume = , place = {United States}, year = {2013}, month = {12}}
https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1136727

Details

Data from Dec 31, 2013

Last updated Aug 27, 2021

Submitted Mar 21, 2014

Organization

University of Nevada

Contact

James E. Faulds

775.682.8751

Authors

James E. Faulds

University of Nevada

DOE Project Details

Project Name Recovery Act: Characterizing Structural Controls of EGS-Candidate and Conventional Geothermal Reservoirs in the Great Basin: Developing Successful Exploration Strategies in Extended Terranes

Project Lead Mark Ziegenbein

Project Number EE0002748

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