Rift Zone

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Rift Zone:

A divergent plate boundary within a continent

Other definitions:Wikipedia Reegle

Tectonic Settings

List of tectonic settings known to host modern geothermal systems:

• Extensional Tectonics
• Subduction Zone
• Rift Zone
• Hot Spot
• Non-Tectonic
• Strike-Slip

The Rio Grande Rift exemplifies rift zone tectonics - increased volcanic activity and the formation of graben structures (reference: science-art.com)

Rift valleys occur at divergent plate boundaries, resulting in large graben structures and increased volcanism. The East African Rift is an example of a continental rift zone with increased volcanism, while the Atlantic’s spreading Mid-Ocean Ridge is host to an enormous amount of geothermal activity in Iceland.

Some rift zones, like that of the Gulf of California, exhibit transtensional strains exemplified by strike-slip regions like that of the San Andreas fault. Rift zones may also give way to leaky transform faults that may contribute to increased volcanism as is thought to be the case with Las Tres Virgenes in Baja California, Mexico and the Azores Islands which are located on a triple junction.

Examples

Want to add an example to this list? Select a Geothermal Resource Area to edit its "Tectonic Setting" property using the "Edit with Form" option.

CSV

Geothermal Resource Area	Geothermal Region	Control Structure	Host Rock Age	Host Rock Lithology	Mean Capacity	Mean Reservoir Temp
Aluto-Langano Geothermal Area	East African Rift System - Ethiopian Rift Valley	Major Normal Fault		Basalt	7.5 MW7,500 kW <br />7,500,000 W <br />7,500,000,000 mW <br />0.0075 GW <br />7.5e-6 TW <br />	561.15 K288 °C <br />550.4 °F <br />1,010.07 °R <br />
Bjarnaflag Geothermal Area	Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	3 MW3,000 kW <br />3,000,000 W <br />3,000,000,000 mW <br />0.003 GW <br />3.0e-6 TW <br />	573.15 K300 °C <br />572 °F <br />1,031.67 °R <br />
Bruchsal Geothermal Area	Upper Rhine Valley	Major Normal Fault	Triassic	Sandstone	0.6 MW600 kW <br />600,000 W <br />600,000,000 mW <br />6.0e-4 GW <br />6.0e-7 TW <br />	413.15 K140 °C <br />284 °F <br />743.67 °R <br />
Cerro Prieto Geothermal Area	Gulf of California Rift Zone Geothermal Region			Sandstone	720 MW720,000 kW <br />720,000,000 W <br />720,000,000,000 mW <br />0.72 GW <br />7.2e-4 TW <br />	588.15 K315 °C <br />599 °F <br />1,058.67 °R <br />
East Mesa Geothermal Area	Gulf of California Rift Zone			sandstone	115 MW115,000 kW <br />115,000,000 W <br />115,000,000,000 mW <br />0.115 GW <br />1.15e-4 TW <br />	443.15 K170 °C <br />338 °F <br />797.67 °R <br />
Eburru Geothermal Area	East African Rift System - Kenya Rift			Basalt	2.5 MW2,500 kW <br />2,500,000 W <br />2,500,000,000 mW <br />0.0025 GW <br />2.5e-6 TW <br />	578.15 K305 °C <br />581 °F <br />1,040.67 °R <br />
Fenton Hill HDR Geothermal Area	Rio Grande Rift	Lithologically Controlled	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 />
Heber Geothermal Area	Gulf of California Rift Zone	Pull-Apart in Strike-Slip Fault Zone		sandstone	180 MW180,000 kW <br />180,000,000 W <br />180,000,000,000 mW <br />0.18 GW <br />1.8e-4 TW <br />	447.15 K174 °C <br />345.2 °F <br />804.87 °R <br />
Hellisheidi Geothermal Area	South Iceland Seismic Zone - Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	303 MW303,000 kW <br />303,000,000 W <br />303,000,000,000 mW <br />0.303 GW <br />3.03e-4 TW <br />	533.15 K260 °C <br />500 °F <br />959.67 °R <br />
Husavik (Hveravellir) Geothermal Area	Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	2 MW2,000 kW <br />2,000,000 W <br />2,000,000,000 mW <br />0.002 GW <br />2.0e-6 TW <br />	395.15 K122 °C <br />251.6 °F <br />711.27 °R <br />
Krafla Geothermal Area	Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	60 MW60,000 kW <br />60,000,000 W <br />60,000,000,000 mW <br />0.06 GW <br />6.0e-5 TW <br />	538.15 K265 °C <br />509 °F <br />968.67 °R <br />
Landau Geothermal Area	Upper Rhine Valley	Major Normal Fault			3.6 MW3,600 kW <br />3,600,000 W <br />3,600,000,000 mW <br />0.0036 GW <br />3.6e-6 TW <br />	413.15 K140 °C <br />284 °F <br />743.67 °R <br />
Las Tres Virgenes Geothermal Area	Baja Peninsula Geothermal Region			Granodiorite	10 MW10,000 kW <br />10,000,000 W <br />10,000,000,000 mW <br />0.01 GW <br />1.0e-5 TW <br />	553.15 K280 °C <br />536 °F <br />995.67 °R <br />
Nesjavellir Geothermal Area	South Iceland Seismic Zone - Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	120 MW120,000 kW <br />120,000,000 W <br />120,000,000,000 mW <br />0.12 GW <br />1.2e-4 TW <br />	568.15 K295 °C <br />563 °F <br />1,022.67 °R <br />
Olkaria Geothermal Area	East African Rift System - Kenya Rift				602 MW602,000 kW <br />602,000,000 W <br />602,000,000,000 mW <br />0.602 GW <br />6.02e-4 TW <br />	548.15 K275 °C <br />527 °F <br />986.67 °R <br />
Pico Vermelho-Ribeira Grande Geothermal Area	Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	28.5 MW28,500 kW <br />28,500,000 W <br />28,500,000,000 mW <br />0.0285 GW <br />2.85e-5 TW <br />	511.15 K238 °C <br />460.4 °F <br />920.07 °R <br />
Reykjanes Geothermal Area	Mid Atlantic Ridge			Basalt	100 MW100,000 kW <br />100,000,000 W <br />100,000,000,000 mW <br />0.1 GW <br />1.0e-4 TW <br />	583.15 K310 °C <br />590 °F <br />1,049.67 °R <br />
Salton Sea Geothermal Area	Gulf of California Rift Zone	Pull-Apart in Strike-Slip Fault Zone	Pleistocene	sandstone	437 MW437,000 kW <br />437,000,000 W <br />437,000,000,000 mW <br />0.437 GW <br />4.37e-4 TW <br />	575.15 K302 °C <br />575.6 °F <br />1,035.27 °R <br />
Svartsengi Geothermal Area	Mid Atlantic Ridge	Fault Intersection		Basalt	76 MW76,000 kW <br />76,000,000 W <br />76,000,000,000 mW <br />0.076 GW <br />7.6e-5 TW <br />	513.15 K240 °C <br />464 °F <br />923.67 °R <br />
Valles Caldera - Redondo Geothermal Area	Rio Grande Rift	Fault Intersection Stratigraphic Boundaries Caldera Rim Margins	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	Fault Intersection Stratigraphic Boundaries Caldera Rim Margins	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”