A Heat/Mass/Solute Balance Model for Borax Lake, a Geothermal Feature of Pueblo Valley, Oregon
- Key words
- Exploration; Hydrology Surveys; USA; Oregon; Harney; Thermal Springs; Chemical Analysis; Habitat; Models; Thermodynamics; Hydrology; Materials Balance; Environmental; Water Quality; Temperature; Surface Waters; Endangered Spaces
- Location
- Borax Lake, Oregon
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1991
- Session
- Exploration; Thermal Springs; Reservoir modeling; Brine chem
- Language
- English
Abstract
Borax Lake, a shallow pone (9.94 acres) in southeast Oregon is fed solely by a geothermal spring. Lake water temperature passes through annual and diurnal cycles and the composition through annual cycles. The lake's behavior is characterized by a set of chemical analyses and temperature data spanning about nineteen months. A model which balances mass, energy and solute concentrations fro Borax Lake has been developed and used to estimate its geothermal input, which is otherwise uncharacterized. Results are 117,000+/-5600 lb/hr. The model temperatures depend on the species of mineral which controls silica concentration, a determining factor in the model's budgets. Quartz yields 309°F (154°C), chalcedony y 271°F and cristobalite 230°F. All are inconsistent with other geothermometers. The pre evaporation concentrations of water components have been deduced for all three cases. Effects of the annual cycle were removed from the chemical data to test for longer term trends which are weakly apparent.
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