CP-2021-04
Play Fairway analysis of geothermal resources across the State of Hawai‘i: 4. Updates with new groundwater chemistry, subsurface stress analysis, and focused geophysical surveys
Lautze, Nicole, Garrett Ito, Donald Thomas, Neil Frazer, Stephen J. Martel, Nicholas Hinz, Diamond Tachera, Graham Hill, Herbert A. Pierce, Philip E. Wannamaker, Thomas Martin
Geothermics 86:1–20, 101798, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2019.101798 (2020)
This paper is the fourth in a series on a play fairway analysis of geothermal resources across the State of Hawai‘i. Here we describe recent exploration activities that include groundwater sampling in ten locations statewide, as well as geophysical surveys on Lāna‘i, across the SW rift of Haleakalā Volcano (Maui), and surrounding Mauna Kea Volcano (Hawai‘i Island). We derive a first-order method for computing topographic stress using Green’s functions, finding that topography can induce appreciable crustal stress. We develop a new method for incorporating depth information about resistivity, density, and topographic stresses into our previously published equations to calculate resource probability and confidence. We incorporate newly collected and modeled data into our calculations to update statewide maps of probability and confidence. Lāna‘i Island and southeast Mauna Kea are identified as the top targets for exploratory drilling. The east rift of Haleakalā Volcano, the southern-most region of Mauna Loa’s SW rift (Hawai‘i Island), and central Kauai are identified as targets for geophysical surveying.