Assessment of Fractures and Faults of Alid Geothermal Area

Abstract

Exploring geothermal energy for Eritrea is vital not only its environmental friendly energy option but also mitigates the use of fossil fuel, which the country has spending on hard currency. Geothermal studies so far carried out on Alid show the presence of high temperature reservoir beneath the volcanic center. Based on previous recommendations, fracture and fault analysis were carried out to understand their relationship with the surface manifestations. Three fracture trends are distinct on the Rose diagram analysis pertinent to different tectonic origin. The high fault fracture density analysis (FFD) complies well with the main trend of the geothermal zone where areas of high surface manifestation occur. The resistivity survey conducted was also in agreement with the trend of the FFD and the main fracture that controls the manifestation.