EGU22-5160
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5160
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Geothermal potential of small sub-volcanic intrusions in a typical Icelandic caldera setting

Steffi Burchardt, Mohsen Bazargan, Einar Bessi Gestsson, Erika Ronchin, Hugh Tuffen, Michael J. Heap, Jonathan Davidson, Ben Kennedy, Alex Hobé, Christoph Hieronymus, and Elodie Saubin
Steffi Burchardt et al.
  • Uppsala University, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden (steffi.burchardt@geo.uu.se)

Geothermal exploration targets large magmatic intrusions as heat sources because of their size, longevity, and amount of stored energy, but as shallow volcanic plumbing systems comprise numerous smaller intrusions, their geothermal potential warrants consideration. Here, we evaluate the geothermal impact of dykes and sills on caldera-infill rocks. We present geological data and geothermometry on intrusions in the eroded Breiðuvík caldera in Northeast Iceland, which serves as an analogue to the active, and geothermally exploited, Krafla volcano. This data informs 2D finite element models of dyke and sill intrusions that consider heat transfer in porous media. Our results indicate small intrusions create considerable thermal anomalies in their immediate vicinity. These anomalies are larger-magnitude and longer-lasting for individual thick sills and dykes, but networks of smaller sills and dykes emplaced close in time and space can create more widespread thermal anomalies that may be viable economic targets for decades after their emplacement.

How to cite: Burchardt, S., Bazargan, M., Bessi Gestsson, E., Ronchin, E., Tuffen, H., Heap, M. J., Davidson, J., Kennedy, B., Hobé, A., Hieronymus, C., and Saubin, E.: Geothermal potential of small sub-volcanic intrusions in a typical Icelandic caldera setting, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-5160, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5160, 2022.