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First Assessment of Geothermal Ressources in Morocco

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First Assessment of Geothermal Ressources in Morocco FIRST ASSESSMENT OF GEOTHERMAL RESSOURCES IN MOROCCO Abdelkrim Rimi Department of Earth’s Physics Scientific Institute Ibn Battouta Avenue, B.P. 703 RABAT 10106 Morocco Tel: 212-7-774543, Fax: 212-7-774540 Email: [email protected] Key Words: Heat Flow, low grade energy, springs, Morocco increasing HFD from the northern Middle Atlas, the Rif and the northeastern Morocco toward the Alboran Sea, the Southeast of ABSTRACT Spain and western Algeria. These two main geothermal structures could be the result of the same phenomenon of The Moroccan underground contain geothermal potentialities, increasing the mantle heat flow in relation with an extensional mainly low grade energy. The maps of heat flow density and tectonic regime over northwest Africa and the Betic-Rif the temperatures distribution down to 3000 m depth, are drawn orocline, since the Cretaceous rifting and the Alpine and area of geothermal resources are defined by the estimation orogenesis. of the heat in place. The more promising regions are northeastern Morocco and the sedimentary basins in the Sahara. 2.2. Subsurface temperatures INTRODUCTION Being entirely dependant as regards energy, an effort is made The heat flow calculation procedure also provides a posteriori by Moroccan authorities, since 1970, to develop geothermal temperatures, interpolated at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 research. The purpose of this work is the first reliable m depth with their standard deviations. Thus the influence of assessement, of the geothermal potential covering the whole the variations of thermal conductivity, due to lithological country. Results are obtained on the base of sub-surface contrasts on the thermal gradient are taken into account. The temperatures determinations, and the hydrogeological figure 2 presents the computed results as contour maps characteristics of the aquifers containing hot water and which can constitute objectives in geothermics. 2.3. Thermal springs 1. BASIC DATA Among the inventoried hot springs in Morocco, those of north- east are clearly related to the recent volcanic and tectonic activities with a rise in mantellic flow (Rimi, 1999). In Western The study of the geothermal field components in Morocco (heat Rif, the hot temperature and the Artesian rise of thermal springs flow density, thermal gradient and subsurface temperatures) are ascribed to deep circulation along fracture systems in the was performed using, on the one hand thermal profiles and area. In central Morocco, the Lalla Haya spring (T=42 °C) is measured conductivities in shallow equilibrium boreholes, and from a structural point of view related to the granit on the other hand by a simultaneous inversion method (Vasseur emplacement in the region. The Eastern High Atlas conceals et al. 1984) of corrected BHT and estimated thermal thermomineral springs feeding in calcareous Lias. The hottest conductivities in deep oil wells (Rimi, 1999). one (T>52 °C with a flow rate of 5 litres/s) is located at Foum The hydrogeoligical information and the physico-chemical Zaâbel in the eastern High Atlas. Finally the two springs the composition of springs are collected, after a significant work more hot in the Southern provinces, Abeino (T=42 °C) and of analysis and checking, in the published technical reports. Timoulay (T=40 °C) are located in the hyperthermale zone extending between the Canary Islands and the Tindouf basin 2. GEOTHERAL FIELD 3. MAP OF THE GEOTHERMAL AREA 2.1 Heat flow density trends and geologicla framework The Precambrian Anti Atlas, belonging to the The variety of the tectonic and lithostratigraphic Northwest African shield is characterized by a flow of 40 ± structures in Morocco created various hydrogeothermal 5mWm-2 and a gradient of 13.5 ± 2 °Ckm-1, which are systems whose physical and lithological properties are comparable to those observed in the shield itself and the heterogeneous. For a preliminary description of the Moroccan Precambrian rocks worldwide; the stable Mesetas, with geothermal zones, two criteria are considered: 1- structural, Paleozoic and Mesozoic basement, are characterized by an lithological and hydrogeological context of the rocks to average flow and gradient of about 61 mWm-2 and 29 °Ckm-1 establish the existence or the absence of aquifers. 2- the water respectively; the northeast of Morocco from the northern temperature up to 3 km. Middle Atlas, the eastern Rif until Algeria show a high thermal Regional studies (Lahrach, 1994; Benabidate, 1994; anomaly with a heat flow and thermal gradients ranges of 80- Boukdir, 1994; Zaghloule, 1994 and Bahaj, 1997) gather basic 110 mWm-2 and 30-45 °Ckm-1 respectively. In the Saharan information on the aquifers: lithology, extent, depth, porosity, provinces, the coastal basins present a thermal gradient of 29 ± mode of feeding, gradient and water flow rate. However 7 °Ckm-1 and a heat flow of 81 ± 14 mWm-2 ; finally the characteristics such as the permeability, the transmissivity and Tindouf basin is abnormally hot with a flow and a gradient of the salinity are often lacking. According to theses works, the 84 ± 17 mWm-2 and 32 ± 10 ° Ckm-1 respectively. aquifers being able to constitute a geothermal resource in Morocco are of two types: 1) In the Tertiary and Quaternary Two major tendencies are therefore defined on each side of the deposits, the driven back water of porous spaces during the “south Atlas fault” (figure 1). In the north we observe an 397 compaction could constitute, up to 700 m of depth, good margin consists of mesozoïco-tertiary " post-rift "carbonated aquifers of low temperature (50-60 °C). 2) the typical water sediments, of which the thickness exceeds 10 km. The long circulation system for the pre-tertiary aquifers, 1000-4000 m wavelength HFD anomalies and the temperatures up to 3000 m depth, remains that guided by the topographic variations. depth, from the Canary Islands to the Tindouf basin, show that Meteoric water percolates in the topographic heights and these Saharan basins are abnormally hot. Oil wells had met hot discharges in the zones of low piezometric level, principally in water and vapor in the liasic aquifer (Hilali and Bouhaouli, carbonates of the major mesozoïc basins. If the permeabilities 1977). On the other hand, the sub-surface presence in the are favorable, water can penetrate rather deeply and to be Moroccan Sahara, of the lower Cretaceous sandy aquifer however gradually heated (the average temperature is 100°C). known as the" Continental intercalaire" (Guiraud, 1988), The map in Figure 3 synthesizes the levels of Moroccan encourages the exploration of this thick (> 1000 m) resource of geothermal potential as follows: class A characterizes the zone good hydraulic properties. extending since the southern Rif and northern Middle Atlas to eastern Morocco. The temperature of the aquifers existing up to 3000 m of depth can reach 120 °C. The zones of class B are of Western Meseta an average geothermal vocation, the temperature of the aquifers may exceed 100 °C but the aquifers are of moderate The western Meseta is a vast basin of 16000 km² consisted of importance. In this category, we have the Saharan basins and schisto-quartzitic paleozoic series. Hercynien granit and the southern Rif. The zones of class C are sedimentary basins Quaternary basaltic volcanism are reheating lithospheric of great extents where the temperature varies between 30 and processes in this zone. Indeed in two wells in the north of this 90 °C, the depth to which one can obtain hot water can be so area (Rimi et al, 1998), which attain granitic basement, at 530 great that this class C cannot be considered like potential to 790 m depth the temperature is of 50 to 60 °C, giving an resource in the immediate future. Finally the class D shows average thermal gradient of 48 °C.km-1. On the other hand, the areas without geothermal possibilities. heat production could constitute a good resource in this field, however we do not yet know the contents nor the in-depth 3.1. Major hydrogeothermal fields in Morocco distribution of these natural radioelements (U, Th, K). Eastern Rif and Eastern Morocco 3.2. Heat in place in the two hot basins By the number and the importance of the superficial thermal Two basins are chosen in the main geothermal area to give an shows (hot springs, recent volcanic and tectonic activities), in idea on their potetial energy. Available heat in the selected this region is the domain which the most drew the attention. A basins (Table 1), is evaluated by (Muffer & Cataldi, 1978) : study of french BRGM (Alsac et al. 1969) concluded that north-eastern Morocco does not constitute really a zone with H0 = ((1-ϕ)ρmcm + ϕρwcw).(Tt – T0)A.∆z significant potential. Thereafter a second study entrusted again where H = heat of place (J), ϕ = effective porosity to the BRGM (Cornet et al, 1974) underestimated the 0 (dimensionless), ρ = average density of rock column (kg/m3), possibilities of Eastern Rif. These two studies could not be m c = mean specific heat capacity (J/(kg/K)), Tt = temperature at conclusive because their thermometries carried out in the first the top of the aquifer (°C), T = temperature at the earth’s 60 meters of piezometers are strongly disturbed and the HFD 0 surface (°C), A = surface of considered area (m2), ∆z = could not be measured without thermal conductivity data, in thickness of the aquifer (m), m = rock matrix, w = water. addition their analyses had not integrated deep geophysical data (seismicity, focal mechanisms, electrical conductivity, volcanic The porosity values ϕ are deduced from a compaction law of xenoliths,...). The positive HFD anomaly in Rif and Eastern limestones, established in the coastal mesozoïc basin in Morocco is linked to a lithospheric tectono-magmatic process southern Morocco (Medina & Rimi, 1992): ϕ = 0.64 exp (-1.2 (Rimi et al, 1998).
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