Geologic and geochemical results from boreholes drilled in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2007 and 2008

Abstract

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Heat and Mass Transport in a Vapor‐Dominated Hydrothermal Area in Yellowstone National Park, USA: Inferences From Magnetic, Electrical, Electromagnetic, Subsurface Temperature, and Diffuse CO2 Flux Measurements

“…In contrast to Yellowstone's geyser basins where water levels in the glacial deposits are near the ground surface and at boiling temperature, the glacial deposits in vapor‐dominated areas are liquid unsaturated (White et al, ). The depth to the water table (or liquid saturation) in the SPTA is unknown, but water samples collected after drilling of borehole B206 at an elevation of 2,400 m, 3 km to the east‐northeast of the SPTA (Figure ) suggest water unsaturated conditions to a depth of at least 93 m (elevation of 2,307 m; Jaworowski et al, ), which is ~170 m lower than the elevation of the SPTA (2,480 m).…”

Geophysical Imaging of Yellowstone’s Hydrothermal Plumbing System

“…1) 20 . Signi cant uids ow at 5-7.6 liters/sec with conductivities ~1050 µS/cm 23 , typical of thermal springs 32 in the boundary at B205 (Fig. 1).…”

“…These clay sequences can extend laterally for tens of kilometers and typically range from 200-1500 m thick 9,12 . At YNP, these sequences are mapped in a few boreholes (Y-9-12) 8,23 and at the base of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone 7 and their contrast in susceptibility with fresh volcanic rocks are the primary cause of modeled low susceptibilities in YNP [24][25][26] . To map clays below the AEM depth resolution, we inverted YNP magnetic data 4 using a non-linear susceptibility inversion within a 3D volume constrained by magnetic properties and depth weighting 27 .…”

Geophysical imaging of the Yellowstone hydrothermal plumbing system

“…These clay sequences often extend laterally for tens of kilometres and typically range from 200 to 1,500 m thick 11,14 . At YNP, these sequences are mapped in a few boreholes (Y-9 and Y-12) 10,26 and at the base of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone 9 , and their contrasts in susceptibility with fresh volcanic rocks are the primary cause of the modelled low susceptibilities in YNP [27][28][29] . To map clays below the AEM depth resolution, we inverted YNP magnetic data 6 using a non-linear susceptibility inversion within a three-dimensional (3D) volume constrained by magnetic properties and depth weighting 30 .…”

“…Significant fluids flow at 5-7.6 l s -1 with conductivities of approximately 1,050 µS cm -1 (ref. 26 ), typical of thermal springs 37 in the boundary at B205 (ref. 26 ; Fig.…”