Caldera Depression
From Open Energy Information
Caldera Depression:
Calderas form from the catastrophic eruption of large amounts of felsic lava and ash. Emptying of the magma chamber and subsequent collapse of the overlying volcanic edifice forms a ring-shaped caldera depression up to several kilometers in diameter. The edges of the underlying magma chamber are roughly marked by a ring fracture zone that acts as a conduit for ongoing volcanism and hydrothermal activity.
Topographic Features
List of topographic features commonly encountered in geothermal resource areas:
Calderas form from the catastrophic eruption of large amounts of felsic lava and ash. Emptying of the magma chamber and subsequent collapse of the overlying volcanic edifice forms a ring-shaped caldera depression up to several kilometers in diameter. The edges of the underlying magma chamber are roughly marked by a ring fracture zone that acts as a conduit for ongoing volcanism and hydrothermal activity.
Calderas are capable of expelling large amounts of volcanic material in a single eruptive event, leaving behind regionally extensive ash fall deposits. For example, the Bishop Tuff, deposited during the eruption of the Long Valley Caldera 767,100 ± 900 years ago, covers a 2,200 square-kilometer region of the southwestern United States.
Examples
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| Geothermal Resource Area | Geothermal Region | Tectonic Setting | Host Rock Age | Host Rock Lithology | Mean Capacity | Mean Reservoir Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenton Hill HDR Geothermal Area | Rio Grande Rift | Rift Zone Extensional Tectonics | Precambrian | Crystalline basement “pCu” (undifferentiated in map units); Biotite Granodiorite (Phase I Reservoir); Gneiss, Schist, Granodiorite, Granite, Metavolcanic Rocks (Phase II Reservoir) | 20 MW20,000 kW <br />20,000,000 W <br />20,000,000,000 mW <br />0.02 GW <br />2.0e-5 TW <br /> | 508.15 K235 °C <br />455 °F <br />914.67 °R <br /> |
| Fukushima Geothermal Area | Northeast Honshu Arc | Subduction Zone | 65 MW65,000 kW <br />65,000,000 W <br />65,000,000,000 mW <br />0.065 GW <br />6.5e-5 TW <br /> | 579.15 K306 °C <br />582.8 °F <br />1,042.47 °R <br /> | ||
| Hachijojima Geothermal Area | Northeast Honshu Arc | Subduction Zone | 3.3 MW3,300 kW <br />3,300,000 W <br />3,300,000,000 mW <br />0.0033 GW <br />3.3e-6 TW <br /> | 556.15 K283 °C <br />541.4 °F <br />1,001.07 °R <br /> | ||
| Lahendong Geothermal Area | Minahasa Volcanic Zone | Subduction Zone | Miocene | Andesite | 80 MW80,000 kW <br />80,000,000 W <br />80,000,000,000 mW <br />0.08 GW <br />8.0e-5 TW <br /> | 578.15 K305 °C <br />581 °F <br />1,040.67 °R <br /> |
| Lihir Geothermal Area | Papua New Guinea Geothermal Region | Subduction Zone | Basalt; Breccias; Tuffs | 56 MW56,000 kW <br />56,000,000 W <br />56,000,000,000 mW <br />0.056 GW <br />5.6e-5 TW <br /> | 548.15 K275 °C <br />527 °F <br />986.67 °R <br /> | |
| Miyagi Geothermal Area | Northeast Honshu Arc | Subduction Zone | Miocene | Basalt | 12.5 MW12,500 kW <br />12,500,000 W <br />12,500,000,000 mW <br />0.0125 GW <br />1.25e-5 TW <br /> | 523.15 K250 °C <br />482 °F <br />941.67 °R <br /> |
| Mokai Geothermal Area | Taupo Volcanic Zone | Extensional Tectonics Subduction Zone | Quaternary | Volcaniclastic | 112 MW112,000 kW <br />112,000,000 W <br />112,000,000,000 mW <br />0.112 GW <br />1.12e-4 TW <br /> | 568.15 K295 °C <br />563 °F <br />1,022.67 °R <br /> |
| Mori Geothermal Area | Kuril-Kamchatka Arc | Subduction Zone | Pre-Tertiary | Limestone | 50 MW50,000 kW <br />50,000,000 W <br />50,000,000,000 mW <br />0.05 GW <br />5.0e-5 TW <br /> | 513.15 K240 °C <br />464 °F <br />923.67 °R <br /> |
| Pauzhetskaya Geothermal Area | Kuril-Kamchatka Arc | Subduction Zone | Tuff | 27 MW27,000 kW <br />27,000,000 W <br />27,000,000,000 mW <br />0.027 GW <br />2.7e-5 TW <br /> | 468.15 K195 °C <br />383 °F <br />842.67 °R <br /> | |
| Sumatra-Sibayak Geothermal Area | Sunda Volcanic Arc - Great Sumatra Fault Zone | Subduction Zone | Tertiary | Sandstone; Limestone | 12 MW12,000 kW <br />12,000,000 W <br />12,000,000,000 mW <br />0.012 GW <br />1.2e-5 TW <br /> | 543.15 K270 °C <br />518 °F <br />977.67 °R <br /> |
| Valles Caldera - Redondo Geothermal Area | Rio Grande Rift | Rift Zone Extensional Tectonics | Mississippian-Pennsylvanian; Pleistocene, 1.6 to 1.25 Ma | Limestone-Madera Formation “MIPu”; Rhyolitic tuff-Intracaldera Bandelier Tuff (upper Tshirege “Qbt” and lower Otowi “Qbo” members); Caldera Fill Rhyolite (shallow) | ||
| Valles Caldera - Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area | Rio Grande Rift | Rift Zone Extensional Tectonics | Precambrian; Mississippian-Pennsylvanian; Pleistocene, 1.6 to 1.25 Ma; Pliocene; Miocene | Crystalline basement “pCu”; Limestone-Madera Formation “MIPu”; Rhyolitic tuff-Bandelier Tuff (upper Tshirege “Qbt” and lower Otowi “Qbo” members); Caldera Fill Rhyolite (shallow); Dacitic/Andesitic to Rhyolitic lavas and tuffs-Keres Group Volcanics (shallow); Santa Fe Group volcaniclastics “Tsf” | ||
| Wairakei-Poihipi Geothermal Area | Taupo Volcanic Zone | Extensional Tectonics Subduction Zone | Quaternary | Volcaniclastic | 352 MW352,000 kW <br />352,000,000 W <br />352,000,000,000 mW <br />0.352 GW <br />3.52e-4 TW <br /> | 483.15 K210 °C <br />410 °F <br />869.67 °R <br /> |