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In this paper we present the results of 3D conductive thermal modeling of the Alpine-Pannonian transition zone. The study area comprises the Vienna, Danube, Styrian and Mura-Zala basins, surrounded by the Eastern Alps, the Western Carpathians and Transdanubian Range. The model consists of three layers: Tertiary sediments, the underlying crust and lithospheric mantle. The crust and mantle were homogenous with constant thermal properties. Heat production in the sediments and crust was 1 lW/m 3. The thermal conductivity of sediments varied horizontally and vertically and based on laboratory measurements. We tested two scenarios: a steady-state and a time-dependent case. The conductive heat transport equation was solved by finite element method using Comsol Multiphysics. The results of the steady-state model fit to the observation in the northern part of the study area, but this model predicts lower heat flow density and temperatures than observed in the southern part of the study area including the Styrian basin. The area underwent lithospheric stretching during the Early-Middle Miocene time, therefore the temperature field in the lithosphere is not steady-state. We calculated the initial temperature distribution in the lithosphere at the end of rifting using non-homogeneous stretching factors, and we modeled the present day thermal field. The results of the time-dependent model fit to the observed heat flow density and temperatures, except in those areas where intensive groundwater flow occurs in the carbonatic basement of the Transdanubian Range and Northern Calcareous Alps, and the metamorphic basement high between the Mura trough and Styrian basin. We conclude that time-dependent model is able to predict the temperature field in the upper 6-8 km of the crust, and is a valuable tool in EGS exploration.

The Pannonian basin in Central Europe is well known for its rich geothermal resources. Although geothermal energy has been utilised, mainly for direct use purposes, for a long time, there are still a lot of untapped resources. This paper presents novel methods for outlining and assessing the theoretical and technical potential of partly still unknown geothermal reservoirs, based on a case study from the Dráva basin, one of the sub-basins of the Pannonian basin along the Hungarian–Croatian border. The presented methods include reservoir delineation based on combining geological bounding surfaces of the Upper Pannonian basin-fill units with a set of isotherms deriving from a conductive geothermal model. The geothermal potential of each identified reservoir was calculated by a Monte Carlo method, which was considered as being represented by the heat content of the fluids stored in the effective pore space (‘moveable fluid’). The results underline the great untapped geothermal potential of the Dráva basin, especially that of the reservoir storing thermal water of 50–75°C, which has the largest volume and the greatest stored heat content.