Extreme hydrothermal conditions at an active plate-bounding fault

Sutherland, Rupert; Townend, John; Toy, Virginia; Upton, Phædra; Coussens, Jamie; Allen, Michael J.; Baratin, L. M.; Barth, Nicolas C.; Becroft, Leeza; Boese, C. M.; Boles, Austin; Boulton, Carolyn; Broderick, Neil G. R.; Janku-Capova, Lucie; Carpenter, B. M.; Célérier, Bernard; Chamberlain, C. J.; Cooper, Alan F.; Coutts, Ashley; Cox, Simon C.; Craw, Lisa; Doan, Mai‐Linh; Eccles, J. D.; Faulkner, Daniel R.; Grieve, Jason; Grochowski, Julia; Gulley, Anton; Hartog, Arthur H.; Howarth, Jamie; Jacobs, Katrina; Jeppson, T.; Kato, Naoki; Keys, Steven; Kirilova, Martina; Kometani, Yusuke; Langridge, R. M.; Lin, Weiren; Little, Timothy A.; Lukács, Adrienn; Mallyon, Deirdre; Mariani, Elisabetta; Massiot, Cécile; Mathewson, Loren; Melosh, Ben; Menzies, C.D.; Moore, J. Casey; Morales, L. F. G.; Morgan, Chance; Mori, Hiroshi; Niemeijer, A. R.; Nishikawa, Osamu; Prior, David J.; Sauer, Katrina; Savage, M. K.; Schleicher, Anja M.; Schmitt, Douglas R.; Shigematsu, Norio; Taylor-Offord, Sam; Teagle, D. A. H.; Tobin, H. J.; Valdez, R. D.; Weaver, KC; Wiersberg, Thomas; Williams, Jack N.; Woodman, N.; Zimmer, Martin

doi:10.1038/nature22355

Cited by 113 publications

(192 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Numerical models that simulate the regional‐scale temperature field (Sutherland et al, ) are consistent with the equilibrium temperature profile and predict upward fluid flux in the Whataroa Valley near DFDP‐2B of order 1 × 10 −9 to 1 × 10 −8 m s −1 averaged over the entire hanging‐wall (Sutherland et al, ). It is likely that this flow is concentrated in the “outer damage zone” (Townend et al, ), which is intersected by the borehole.…”

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The drilling technology that was used, combined with high mechanical anisotropy associated with moderately southeast‐dipping foliation, resulted in a borehole tilt that increases downhole to a maximum value of 44° (Sutherland et al, ; Townend et al, ). All depths in this paper are measured drilled depth (MD), which differs from true vertical depth (TVD) as a result of the borehole's deviation from vertical (Sutherland et al, ; Townend et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fluid Flux in Fractured Rock of the Alpine Fault Hanging‐Wall Determined from Temperature Logs in the DFDP‐2B Borehole, New Zealand

Janku-Capova

Sutherland

Townend

et al. 2018

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Sixteen temperature logs were acquired during breaks in drilling of the 893m‐deep DFDP‐2B borehole, which is in the Alpine Fault hanging‐wall. The logs record various states of temperature recovery after thermal disturbances induced by mud circulation. The long‐wavelength temperature signal in each log was estimated using a sixth‐order polynomial, and residual (reduced) temperature logs were analyzed by fitting discrete template wavelets defined by depth, amplitude, and width parameters. Almost two hundred wavelets are correlated between multiple logs. Anomalies generally have amplitudes <1°C, and downhole widths <20m. The largest amplitudes are found in the first day after mud circulation stops, but many anomalies persist with similar amplitude for up to 15 days. Our models show that thermal and hydraulic diffusive processes are dominant during the first few days of re‐equilibration after mud circulation stops, and fluid advection of heat in the surrounding rock produces temperature anomalies that may persist for several weeks. Models indicate that the fluid flux normal to the borehole within fractured zones is of order 10−7 to 10−6 m s−1, which is 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than the regional flux. Our approach could be applied more widely to boreholes, as it uses the thermal re‐equilibration phase to derive useful information about the surrounding rock mass and its fluid flow regime.

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Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid Flux in Fractured Rock of the Alpine Fault Hanging‐Wall Determined from Temperature Logs in the DFDP‐2B Borehole, New Zealand

Janku-Capova

Sutherland

Townend

et al. 2018

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…Furthermore, the signature of shear heating can be dissipated or masked by several factors, including (i) conductive heat loss (Platt, ), (ii) a preexisting metamorphic history, (iii) efficient heat diffusion across the shear zone, (iv) advection of high‐temperature crustal blocks from depth, (v) the lack of thermal markers recording transient thermal conditions, and (vi) upwelling of hot fluids or injection of melts (e.g., Ault et al, ; Decarlis et al, ; Gottardi et al, ; Lacroix et al, ; Mamadou et al, ; Morton et al, ; O'Neil & Hanks, ; Scholz, ; Sutherland et al, ; Torgersen & Viola, ). For these reasons, only a few field‐based studies have quantified how much mechanical heat is produced by brittle and/or ductile deformation (Ault et al, ; England et al, ; Evans et al, ; Fulton et al, ; Maino et al, ; Mori et al, ; Nabelek & Liu, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time‐Dependent Heat Budget of a Thrust from Geological Records and Numerical Experiments

et al. 2020

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We present thermometric measurements and numerical simulations of the thermal budget of a shallow thrust (5–7 km of depth). We determine the temperatures of synkinematic minerals by chlorite geothermometer and illite crystallinity index and sheared veins with stable isotope and fluid inclusion microthemometry. The fault zone attained temperature higher than the wall rocks (ΔT of ~50 °C). Some heavily damaged rocks retain a minor but systematic record of a further temperature increase up to 150 °C, and the isotopic signal of fluids indicates a proximal source localized close to the fault zone. We simulated the geological evolution with a suite of elasto‐visco‐plastic thermomechanical models using a 2‐D finite difference code that reproduces the stress, strain, temperature, and pressure variations occurring within the thrust zone. Results indicate that shear heating during distributed cataclastic flow can account for a moderate and persistent temperature increment (ΔT 5–30 °C). Transient higher temperature pulses (50–90 °C) are reproduced simulating coseismic slip along narrow fault planes localized within the broad cataclastic zone. Integration of analytical data and numerical results supports the slow creeping frictional‐viscous deformation as effective mechanism explaining the low‐T part of the thermal history. Seismic deformation equivalent to moment magnitude Mw > 6.5–7.0 earthquakes is required to fully account for the thermal signal, including the extreme peak temperature.

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“…López and Smith () show, in a theoretical 3‐D numerical model, that the topography along faults also influences the hydrothermal flows, and numerical simulations have never to our knowledge explored this. Most of the recent numerical studies on hydrothermal systems now involve 3‐D topography, sometimes simplified as being flat or slightly sloping (Sonney & Vuataz, ) or cylindrical (Magri et al, ) and also using realistic topography derived from DEMs (digital elevation models; Craw et al, ; Sutherland et al, ; Volpi et al, ). However, 3‐D model geometry built from a complex topography and fault traces, and constrained by fieldwork, is just beginning to be implemented in numerical models (Sutherland et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topographic and Faults Control of Hydrothermal Circulation Along Dormant Faults in an Orogen

Taillefer

Guillou-Frottier

Soliva

et al. 2018

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Hydrothermal systems involving dormant faults within orogenic belts are rarely targeted for geothermal exploration, partly because of the complexity of the 3‐D topography, the unknown permeability of the fault zones and the basement lithology, and the lack of deep‐level data. This study brings together various types of surface information (spring features, geological data, topography, and hydrochemistry) to explain the alignment of 29 hot springs (29–73 °C) along the dormant Têt fault (Eastern Pyrénées, France). Water ion concentrations, stable water isotopes, and lithium isotopic ratios indicate that (i) fluids originating from meteoric water infiltrate above an altitude of 2,000 m, (ii) the rocks interacting with the fluids are similar for all the springs, and (iii) the maximum fluid temperatures at depth show similar variations along the fault and at the surface. A 3‐D numerical model of the system, assembled from field structural data and from a digital elevation model, explores the permeability combinations for the basement and for a three‐fault network. The models indicate that for a relatively permeable basement (10−16 m2), fluids are topography‐driven down to thousands of meters (until −3,700 m) before being captured by the more permeable Têt fault. Hot spring temperatures can be numerically reproduced when fault permeability is around 10−14 m2, a value slightly lower than the critical permeability for which free convection would occur within the Têt fault. Our study shows that thermal anomalies are possible along dormant faults close to elevated topography in the core of an orogenic belt, thereby opening new perspectives for geothermal exploration.

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Extreme hydrothermal conditions at an active plate-bounding fault

Cited by 113 publications

References 36 publications

Fluid Flux in Fractured Rock of the Alpine Fault Hanging‐Wall Determined from Temperature Logs in the DFDP‐2B Borehole, New Zealand

Fluid Flux in Fractured Rock of the Alpine Fault Hanging‐Wall Determined from Temperature Logs in the DFDP‐2B Borehole, New Zealand

Time‐Dependent Heat Budget of a Thrust from Geological Records and Numerical Experiments

Topographic and Faults Control of Hydrothermal Circulation Along Dormant Faults in an Orogen

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