Cataloging Worldwide Developed Geothermal Systems by Geothermal Play Type

Abstract

The Play Type is a common concept in the exploration for subsurface natural commodities. A play type describes the generic geological environment that might host an economic accumulation of the commodity. The identification of a certain play type has implications for exploration and extraction strategies. In geothermal exploration, a systematic worldwide play type concept is still lacking. Our new play type catalog is based on geological controls on the accumulation of extractable subsurface heat. It is an attempt to group geothermal systems according to geological setting rather than parameters such as temperature or thermodynamic properties, which are not known before drilling. We present a play type catalog that divides the geological settings of geothermal systems into convection and conduction dominated play types. Within these two broad groups are six geothermal play types divided according to tectono-structural setting and the nature of the heat source (magmatic or non-magmatic).