Progress in Understanding the Geothermal Sedimentary Basins in Northeastern Morocco

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the hydro-geothermal characterization of northwestern Morocco. This region is known by a large number of surface geothermal manifestations. Thermal waters are hosted within sedimentary rocks, and in particular the Liassic dolomitic limestones act as a reservoir. The presence of geothermal waters is closely related to important fault systems. Meteoric water infiltrates along those fractures and faults, gets heated, and then returns to surface through hydrothermal conduits. In order to improve our knowledge about the thermal regime in northeastern Morocco, a number of thermal conductivity measurements were carried out on a set of samples representative of the local stratigraphic sequence. Temperature logs were analyzed by matching thermal data with models of vertical temperature distribution. Thermo-hydraulic parameters were calculated from the coefficients of the advective models obtained by means of the least-square fitting method. Analytical modeling of heat and water transfer involved in the deep circulation was attempted along selected hydro-geological crosssections in Oujda and Berkane region. Geochemical approaches were applied for those two thermal stations to infer the subsurface temperature.