Mechanisms for Water Level Declines in Alum Lakes, Wairakei
- Location
- Wairakei, New Zealand; Taupo Volcanic Zone
- Conference
- New Zealand Geothermal Workshop
- Year
- 2001
- Session
- Monitoring
- Language
- English
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Abstract
Recent water-level declines of several steam-heated pools in the Alum Lakes area of Wairakei have been studied. A mechanism that could explain these declines is gradually reducing steam upflow fiom the underlying depressurising steam zone, causing a change in relative permeability to the counter-flowing liquid and steam. This could eventually allow more liquid through the 2-phase vertical conduit that links the shallow groundwater and the deep vapour zone, and a relatively rapid down-flow then occurs. Other nlechanismS involving mudstone drainage and new hctures are also discussed. Equilibrium will be re-established when lateral inflows of groundwater match the new down-flow.
Copyright 2001, University of Auckland. Readers who download papers from this site should honour the copyright of the original authors, and may not copy or distribute the work further without the permission of the original publisher.