Heat Flow and Geothermal Potential in the South-Central United States

Geothermal exploration is typically limited to high-grade hydrothermal reservoirs that are usually found in the western United States, yet large areas with subsurface temperatures above 150°C at economic drilling depths can be found east of the Rocky Mountains. The object of this paper is to present new heat flow data and to evaluate the geothermal potential of Texas and adjacent areas. The new data show that, west of the Ouachita Thrust Belt, the heat flow values are lower than east of the fault zone. Basement heat flow values for the Palo Duro and Fort Worth Basins are below 50 mW/m² while, in the frontal zone of the belt, they can exceed 60 mW/m². Further east, along the Balcones fault system the heat flow is in general higher than 55 mW/m². The eastern most heat flow sites are in Louisiana and they show very high heat flow (over 80 mW/m²), which is associated with the apparently highly radioactive basement of the Sabine uplift. The geothermal resource in this area is large and diverse, and can be divided in high grade (temperature above 150°C) convective systems, conductive based enhanced geothermal systems and geothermal/geopressured systems. One of the most attractive areas east of the cordillera extends from eastern Texas across Louisiana and Arkansas to western Mississippi. Here temperatures reach exploitation range at depths below 4 km, and tapping such a resource from shut in hydrocarbon fields is relatively easy. The initial costs of the development can be greatly reduced if existing hydrocarbon infrastructure is used, and therefore using shut-in hydrocarbon fields for geothermal purposes should not be neglected.     

Delta formation at the southern entrance of Istanbul Strait (Marmara sea, Turkey): a new interpretation based on high-resolution seismic stratigraphy

A detailed stratigraphic investigation based on high-resolution seismic profiles revealed that the delta at the southern entrance of the Istanbul Strait consists of three parasequence sets. The lowermost parasequence shows a sea-level stillstand at the beginning of the lowstand systems tract, possibly at 11,000±1,100 a b.p., whereas the upper two parasequences reflect deposition at lowstand and during the subsequent transgression. A maximum flooding surface may be developing on the delta at present. The delta is located on the eastern side of the Istanbul Strait canyon, with east–west prograding parasequences. The development of the delta is clearly associated with the Kurbağalı Stream on the east coast, and not with the Black Sea outflow through the strait. The geometry of the delta indicates a radial architecture arranged from northeast to southwest.     

Structure of the Nemrut caldera (Eastern Anatolia, Turkey) and associated hydrothermal fluid circulation

Plio-Quaternary volcanism played an important role in the present physical state of Eastern Anatolia. Mount Nemrut, situated to the west of Lake Van is one of the main volcanic centers in the region, with a spectacular summit caldera 8.5 × 7 km in diameter. The most recent eruptions of the volcano were in 1441, 1597 and 1692. Nemrut Lake covers the western half of the caldera; it is a deep, half-bowl-shaped lake with a maximum depth of 176 m. Numerous eruption centers are exposed within the caldera as a consequence of magma–water interaction. Current activity of Nemrut caldera is revealed as hot springs, fumaroles and a small, hot lake.Self-potential and bathymetric surveys carried out in the caldera were used to characterize the structure of the caldera and the associated hydrothermal fluid circulation. In addition, analyses based on digital elevation models and satellite imagery were used to improve our knowledge about the structure of the caldera. According to SP results, the flanks of the volcano represent “the hydrogeologic zone”, whereas the intra-caldera region is an “active hydrothermal area” where the fluid circulation is controlled by structural discontinuities. There is also a northern fissure zone which exhibits hydrothermal signatures. Nemrut caldera collapsed piecemeal, with three main blocks. Stress controlling the collapse mechanism seems to be highly affected by the regional neotectonic regime. In addition to the historical activity, current hydrothermal and hydrogeologic conditions in the caldera, in which there is a large lake and shallow water table, increase the risk of the quiescent volcano.     

Multisite, Multiwavelength Studies of the Active Cool Binary CC Eri

New data acquired on the active, cool binary CC Eri ranged across the spectrum from Chandra X-ray to broadband photometry and microwave observations using the VLA and ATCA. Also, high-dispersion spectropolarimetry using the AAT enabled Zeeman-Doppler imaging to be performed. Our interpretations infer strong localised concentrations of the stellar magnetic field, manifested by surface activity and related large coronal plasma structures. Comprehensive matching of the modelling parameters awaits more detailed investigation.This brief interim review includes consideration of the ATCA data. Microwave radio emission is usually low level (‘quiescent’), but occasionally flares of several mJy peak intensity are observed. We associate the emission, generally, with wave-like mechanisms, expanding through the outer atmosphere. Related characteristics of this emission are discussed.     

May-June precipitation reconstruction of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey during the last 900 years from tree rings

A May-June precipitation reconstruction (AD 1097-2000) has been developed for southwestern Anatolia in Turkey, the longest reported to date in this region. The reconstruction was derived from a regional Juniperus excelsa chronology that was built from material sampled at four sites in the Antalya and Mersin Districts. The regional tree-ring chronology accounts for 51% of the variance of instrumentally observed May-June precipitation. The years AD 1518 to 1587 are the most humid period in the reconstruction, coinciding with a major shift in European climate. The driest 70-year period in the reconstruction is AD 1195 to 1264. The period AD 1591-1660 represents the third driest and was characterized by instability climatically, politically, and socially in Anatolia.     

Implications of decadal to century scale glacio‐hydrological change for water resources of the Hood River basin,OR, USA

In glacier‐fed rivers, melting of glacier ice sustains streamflow during the driest times of the year, especially during drought years. Anthropogenic and ecologic systems that rely on this glacial buffering of low flows are vulnerable to glacier recession as temperatures rise. We demonstrate the evolution of glacier melt contribution in watershed hydrology over the course of a 184‐year period from 1916 to 2099 through the application of a coupled hydrological and glacier dynamics model to the Hood River basin in Northwest Oregon, USA. We performed continuous simulations of glaciological processes (mass accumulation and ablation, lateral flow of ice and heat conduction through supra‐glacial debris), which are directly linked with seasonal snow dynamics as well as other key hydrologic processes (e.g. evapotranspiration and subsurface flow). Our simulations show that historically, the contribution of glacier melt to basin water supply was up to 79% at upland water management locations. We also show that supraglacial debris cover on the Hood River glaciers modulates the rate of glacier recession and progression of dry season flow at upland stream locations with debris‐covered glaciers. Our model results indicate that dry season (July to September) discharge sourced from glacier melt started to decline early in the 21st century following glacier recession that started early in the 20th century. Changes in climate over the course of the current century will lead to 14–63% (18–78%) reductions in dry season discharge across the basin for IPCC emission pathway RCP4.5 (RCP8.5). The largest losses will be at upland drainage locations of water diversions that were dominated historically by glacier melt and seasonal snowmelt. The contribution of glacier melt varies greatly not only in space but also in time. It displays a strong decadal scale fluctuations that are super‐imposed on the effects of a long‐term climatic warming trend. This decadal variability results in reversals in trends in glacier melt, which underscore the importance of long‐time series of glacio‐hydrologic analyses for evaluating the hydrological response to glacier recession. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Field experiments on wave propagation and vibration isolation by using wave barriers

In this paper, the obtained results from the experimental studies describe the basic characteristics of wave propagation and ability of possible measures to reduce the impact of soil vibrations on structural response for both active and passive isolation cases. A series of field tests on the foundation vibrations generated by electrodynamic shaker are performed to examine the screening efficiency of open and in-filled trench barriers which are constructed for full-scale measurement. From field measurements of amplitude with and without the barrier, the amplitude reduction ratio is estimated at different points of interest. Wave propagating characteristics and frequency-dependent screening effects of the wave barriers are investigated according to various isolation material stiffnesses. The remarkable outcomes from these experimental studies can be briefly generalized as follows: backfilled trench with softer material than soil is more effective for the passive isolation than the active one. The reduction effects of wave barriers depend on the frequency of vibration source for both passive and active isolation cases. In-situ measurements confirm that vibration screening systems using open or in-filled trench barriers can be applied as a reduction measure for soil vibrations due to a moving load which is considered as stationary wave source in this problem.