Circulation of Thermal Waters on Pantelleria Island (Sicily Channel, Italy)

Abstract

Recent geothermal exploration Pantelleria, a island within the Sicily Channel. located a water-dominated geothermal field in the southern part of the island. water-dominated reservoir. by temperatures of around has recently been tapped by a deep producing well I in). During the survey a large number ofwater samples were collected froin shallow water-wells and natural manifestations, The analysis of these samples was integrated with geochemical and thermometric observations carried in exploratory wells scattered over the island. The data collected. together with the thennodynamic and geochemical characteristics of the deep wells. suggest that the major contribution to the deep fluid from the sea. A ground-water circulation model is This model proposes that the thermal waters. mainly mixtures of meteoric and sea waters. flow towards the coast in the shallow part of the aquifer. and an inflow of colder water occurs at depth in the island.