Structural Interpretation of the Kakkonda Deep Geothermal Reservoir

Abstract

The Kakkonda geothermal field is known as a unique field such that a new reservoir was found at about 2500 m in depth after the shallow reservoir ranging from 1000 m to 1500 m had been produced for about eight years. The shallow reservoir is composed of sedimentary rock with igneous rock intrusions, while the deep reservoir is a fractured thin zone located at the top of a large granite intrusion. Between the two, there exist thermally metamorphosed zones. This study aims at integrated interpretation of the top structural surface of the deep reservoir. The data used include well data, microearthquakes, and several metamorphic minerals. Microearthquakes, which are continuously observed at surface, reflect the structural surface of the granite intrusion of the deep reservoir. The metamorphic minerals such as biotite and cordierite caused by strong heat conduction out of the granite also give an image of the structure. Based on the spacings of acoustic emission data, images of the structural surface are extracted statistically. The degree of uncertainty is evaluated. The isograds of the metamorphic mineral distributions are reproduced by a regional heat conduction model.