The Humboldt and Dixie Valley High-Temperature Geothermal Trends, Nevada, USA

Abstract

Two deep fluid-source high-temperature linear geothermal trends are identified in northern Nevada (Humboldt, Pershing and Churchill Counties) within the Basin and Range province, the Humboldt trend and the Dixie Valley trend. The attributes of these linear arrays are distinctive in that they discharge meteoric-source fluids, which have thermally equilibrated with temperatures within the crust at depths of 8 to 10 km, the lower region of the brittle crust. The process of meteoric water migrating to the depths indicated by fluid temperature and the collection structures necessary to accommodate broad scavenging of dispersed fracture-hosted crustal water are poorly understood. The large-scale tectonics controlling these two trends are also poorly understood. The economic potential for power generation from the entirety of the geothermal cells within these two trends is significant.