The Geothermal Potentiality of the Saudi Arabian Volcanic Eruptions ‘Harrats’: an Overview

Abstract

The Saudi Arabian volcanic fields or what is called ‘Harrats’ are young Cenozoic lava that cover approximately 80,000 km2, mostly along the west coast of the KSA. They consist mainly of basaltic lava that extends along the coastal part of the Red Sea (1,400 km long and 200 km wide) in Western Saudi Arabia. These basaltic lava include 10 major fields, the most important of them are those of the Ithnayn, Khaybar and Rahat fields. In past very, few studies have dealt with these Harrats. The field observations and some previous studies have indicated a good potentiality of these eruptions, where geothermal fumaroles were observed in some spots of these fields. However, a more research and field surveys are needed to decipher the ambiguity of these resources. This article represents an overview of the composition, geological setting and the previous exploration activities of these Harrats, as well as a discussion of its geothermal potentiality and possible energy production.