Hydrothermal alteration of basalts from Hawaii Geothermal Project Well-A, Kilauea, Hawaii
Date
1978-07
Authors
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Narrator
Transcriber
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Geology Journal
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
Mineralogical examination of basaltic rocks obtained during drilling of a successful 1,962-m-deep geothermal well (HGP-A) in the east rift zone of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, reveals three zones of hydrothermal alteration beneath a zone of unaltered lavas. Each alteration zone is characterized by the dominance of a particular mineral: zone 1, montmorillonite; zone 2, chlorite; zone 3, actinolite. Three zones of relative permeability can be tentatively identified on the basis of filled versus partly filled vesicles and fractures. Because the well has not returned to thermal equilibrium as of this writing, stability relations between secondary minerals and temperatures cannot be calculated with accuracy. However, the latest downhole temperatures measured at the boundaries of alteration zones, compared with similar data from high temperature geothermal areas in Iceland, indicate that HGP-A temperatures are considerably higher than those encountered for the same alteration-zone boundaries in Icelandic wells. This indicates that the present-day thermal regime in HGP-A is relatively young and that the hydrothermal minerals probably have not reached equilibrium with existing conditions.
Description
Keywords
HGP-A, hydrothermal, basalts, Kilauea, Puna, Big Island, Hawaii, Geothermal resources--Hawaii--Hawaii Island, Geothermal resources--Hawaiʻi
Citation
Stone C, Fan PF. 1978. Hydrothermal alteration of basalts from Hawaii Geothermal Project Well-A, Kilauea, Hawaii. Geology Journal.
Extent
4 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Related To (URI)
Table of Contents
Rights
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Collections
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.