Porosity, permeability, and fluid flow in the Yellowstone geothermal system, Wyoming

Dobson, Patrick; Kneafsey, Timothy J.; Hulen, Jeffrey B.; Simmons, Ardyth M.

doi:10.1016/s0377-0273(03)00039-8

Cited by 98 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…A recent study by Dobson et al (2003) of self-sealing at the Yellowstone geothermal system suggests that, although it can decrease the permeability and porosity of the rock matrix, it focuses fluid flow along fractures, where multiple episodes of fluid flow and self-sealing have occurred. Because impact craters have a high fracture density, permeability of an impact crater must be dominated by macroscopic fractures (e.g., Mayr et al 2005), and therefore fluid flow is more likely to occur in cyclical episodes described by Dobson et al (2003) rather than decrease smoothly with time. A typical cycle begins with an explosive release of fluid overpressure, which forms transient, highflow conduits, and the subsequent fluid flow results in mineral precipitation and eventual self-sealing, leading to another cycle of the process (Dobson et al 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because impact craters have a high fracture density, permeability of an impact crater must be dominated by macroscopic fractures (e.g., Mayr et al 2005), and therefore fluid flow is more likely to occur in cyclical episodes described by Dobson et al (2003) rather than decrease smoothly with time. A typical cycle begins with an explosive release of fluid overpressure, which forms transient, highflow conduits, and the subsequent fluid flow results in mineral precipitation and eventual self-sealing, leading to another cycle of the process (Dobson et al 2003). The simulations presented in this paper thus represent an average fluid flow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Numerical modeling of impact‐induced hydrothermal activity at the Chicxulub crater

Abramov

Kring

2007

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

105

112

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Abstract-Large impact events like the one that formed the Chicxulub crater deliver significant amounts of heat that subsequently drive hydrothermal activity. We report on numerical modeling of Chicxulub crater cooling with and without the presence of water. The model inputs are constrained by data from borehole samples and seismic, magnetic, and gravity surveys. Model results indicate that initial hydrothermal activity was concentrated beneath the annular trough as well as in the permeable breccias overlying the melt. As the system evolved, the melt gradually cooled and became permeable, shifting the bulk of the hydrothermal activity to the center of the crater. The temperatures and fluxes of fluid and vapor derived from the model are consistent with alteration patterns observed in the available borehole samples. The lifetime of the hydrothermal system ranges from 1.5 to 2.3 Myr depending on assumed permeability. The long lifetimes are due to conduction being the dominant mechanism of heat transport in most of the crater, and significant amounts of heat being delivered to the near-surface by hydrothermal upwellings. The long duration of the hydrothermal system at Chicxulub should have provided ample time for colonization by thermophiles and/or hyperthermophiles. Because habitable conditions should have persisted for longer time in the central regions of the crater than on the periphery, a search for prospective biomarkers is most likely to be fruitful in samples from that region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical modeling of impact‐induced hydrothermal activity at the Chicxulub crater

Abramov

Kring

2007

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

105

112

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“…Peltier et al (2012) suggested that at the Yasur-Yenkahe complex, Vanuatu, the stratigraphic layering dictates the permeability setting together with faults and fractures. At a larger scale, the relation between porosity, permeability and fluid flow was studied at the Yellowstone caldera (Dobson et al, 2003). Here, results showed that sediments and non-welded tuffs have high permeability thanks to primary porosity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Besides the magmatic/hydrothermal source itself, different factors may affect the expression and intensity of fumaroles. These may be, for instance, the stress field, the presence of faults and fractures, or the lithology (Mongillo and Wood, 1995;Dobson et al, 2003;Finizola et al, 2003;Revil et al, 2008;Schöpa et al, 2011;Peltier et al, 2012). Thermal anomalies can be detected at the surface by direct measurements and by satellite-based or hand-held infrared camera measurements (Bukumirovic et al, 1997;Harris and Maciejewski, 2000;Chiodini et al, 2007;Harris et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ring-shaped thermal field of Stefanos crater, Nisyros Island: a conceptual model

Pantaleo

Walter

2014

Solid Earth

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Abstract. Fumarole fields related to hydrothermal processes release the heat of the underground through permeable pathways. Thermal changes, therefore, are likely to depend also on the size and permeability variation of these pathways. There may be different explanations for the observed permeability changes, such as fault control, lithology, weathering/alteration, heterogeneous sediment accumulation/erosion and physical changes of the fluids (e.g., temperature and viscosity). A common difficulty, however, in surface temperature field studies at active volcanoes is that the parameters controlling the ascending routes of fluids are poorly constrained in general. Here we analyze the crater of Stefanos, Nisyros (Greece), and highlight complexities in the spatial pattern of the fumarole field related to permeability conditions. We combine high-resolution infrared mosaics and grain-size analysis of soils, aiming to elaborate parameters controlling the appearance of the fumarole field. We find a ring-shaped thermal field located within the explosion crater, which we interpret to reflect near-surface contrasts of the soil granulometry and volcanotectonic history at depth. We develop a conceptual model of how the ring-shaped thermal field formed at the Stefanos crater and similarly at other volcanic edifices, highlighting the importance of local permeability contrast that may increase or decrease the thermal fluid flux.

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“…Numerous studies at Yellowstone have focused on hydrothermal silica sealing and its effect on permeability (Keith and others, 1978;Keith and Muffler, 1978;Sturchio and others, 1986;Fournier and others, 1991;Dobson and others, 2001a, b;Dobson, Kneafsey, Hulen, and Simmons, 2003;Dobson, Kneafsey, Sonnenthal, and others, 2003). Mechanisms for silica precipitation include (1) cooling of silica-saturated waters, (2) mixing of fluids with different chemistries and temperatures, and (3) boiling.…”

Section: Hydrothermal Sealingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analogues to features and processes of a high-level radioactive waste repository proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Simmons¹,

Stuckless²

2010

Professional Paper

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Porosity, permeability, and fluid flow in the Yellowstone geothermal system, Wyoming

Cited by 98 publications

References 15 publications

Numerical modeling of impact‐induced hydrothermal activity at the Chicxulub crater

Numerical modeling of impact‐induced hydrothermal activity at the Chicxulub crater

The ring-shaped thermal field of Stefanos crater, Nisyros Island: a conceptual model

Analogues to features and processes of a high-level radioactive waste repository proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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