Mapping Fractures in the Medicine Lake Geothermal System
- Key words
- Exploration; Cascade Range, volcanic hosted geothermal systems, fractures, Glass Mountain, Medicine Lake, California, USA
- Location
- Glass Mountain (Siskiyou County), California; Medicine Lake, California; Cascades
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 2006
- Session
- Exploration; Fractures
- Language
- English
Abstract
The volcanic rocks that host the geothermal system at Medicine Lake, California, contain numerous fractures. Mechanically, the rocks can be separated into two groups: 1) competent lava flows that contain abundant fractures; and 2) tuffs, pyroclastic and epiclastic deposits that are relatively incompetent and unfractured. Logging of fractures in cores from six boreholes indicates that fracture abundance increases with depth in both types of rocks. The data suggest that lithology plays a major role in fracture formation at Medicine Lake.
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