Consolidated Geothermal Database UK (CGD-UK): A digital open license database for temperature and thermal conductivity in the UK.

Abstract

Variations in subsurface heat flow within the upper crust control the distribution of geothermal resources. Development of a robust understanding of these variations requires reliable measurements of temperature and thermal conductivity. To date, measurements of temperature and conductivity onshore the UK have been unavailable in an accessible, clearly structured digital format. Here, we rectify this problem by presenting a consolidated relational database of existing measurements. The database includes comprehensive metadata and has a consistently formatted and linked structure to enable repeatable and reliable estimation of geothermal heat flow. The database, referred to as the Consolidated Geothermal Database UK (CGD-UK), is structured as a series of comma-separated values files, with a master table providing an index of individual boreholes at which measurements have been made. CGD-UK is currently populated with data from northern England and southern Scotland for 209 locations at which temperature and/or conductivity have been measured. It also includes >30,000 data points that have been digitized using automated optical character recognition, but still require QC. CGD-UK serves as the only compressive, open-licence digital database for onshore geothermal data in the UK and provides the foundation for a single database for UK geothermal data, with a digital object identifier (DOI).