New Seismic Imaging of the Coso Geothermal Field, Eastern California
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NEW SEISMIC IMAGING OF THE COSO GEOTHERMAL FIELD, EASTERN CALIFORNIA Jeffrey Unruh William Lettis & Associates, Inc., 1777 Botelho Drive, Suite 262, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 Satish Pullammanappallil and William Honjas Optim LLC, University of Nevada, Reno 89557 Francis Monastero Geothermal Program Office, China Lake NAWC, CA 93555 ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION New multifold seismic reflection data from the This paper presents new seismic images of the Coso central Coso Range, eastern California, image brittle geothermal field in eastern California (Fig. 1). A faults and other structures in Mesozoic crystalline total of 45 line-km of 2-D reflection data were rocks that host a producing geothermal field. The acquired in the central Coso Range to test the ability reflection data were processed in two steps that of new processing methods to image structure in the incorporate new seismic imaging methods: (1) P- crystalline rocks that host the geothermal field (Fig. wave first arrivals in the seismic data were inverted 2). The data were processed using a combination of for subsurface acoustic velocities using a non-linear detailed velocity modeling and Kirchhoff pre-stack simulated annealing approach; and (2) 2-D Velocity migration to obtain accurate, depth-migrated images tomograms obtained from the inversions were 118° 117° MOUNTAINS employed in pre-stack Kirchhoff migration to W h WHITE Explanation i t produce accurate, depth-migrated images of e Dextral fault M t subsurface structure. Three-dimensional n Sinistral fault s . f Normal fault;, ball on visualizations of the velocity structure show that a u INYO MOUNTAINS downthrown block l F tz u discrete low velocity zones are associated with the r o n Plunging anticline n a c two major producing areas of the Coso field, and that ° e e Local azimuth of Sierran- 37 O C r North American motion w e e (Dixon et al., 2000) the producing zones are separated by a “ridge” of e k n f s a V u relatively higher velocity rock. The low velocity l a t l z l e o y n zones are interpreted to be zones of pervasive e f a u H l un fracturing and/or hydrothermal alteration associated t te r M t with localized hydrothermal circulation. The . f au lt PANAMINT RANGE Death presence of the intervening “ridge” of high velocity P a n a rock, which presumably is relatively intact and m in Valley unaltered bedrock, may indicate long-term t Valle compartmentalization of flow in the field. Kirchhoff COSO RANGE y depth-migrated seismic images reveal substantial 36° fault f a DETAILED u coherent reflectivity in the upper 6 to 8 km of the lt STUDY AREA crust. The Coso Wash fault, a Quaternary-active (Figure 2) zone fault that is a locus of surface geothermal activity, is Airport Lake well-imaged as a moderately dipping reflector that fault terminates against a reflector or reflective zone at Garlock fault approximately 4 km depth. The 4 km reflective zone N can be traced laterally beneath the geothermal field, MOJAVE 0 50 km and it may represent the brittle-ductile transition. BLOCK The Kirchhoff images also reveal a prominent high- Figure 1: Major Quaternary faults of the southern amplitude reflector at 6 km depth directly beneath the Walker Lane belt (modified from Jennings, 1994). geothermal field. The reflector exhibits slight The shaded region depicts the Sierra Nevada antiformal geometry and appears to be restricted to microplate as defined by patterns of Quaternary the northern part of the producing zone. The 6 km faulting and geodesy (Dixon et al., 1995; King et al., reflector tentatively is interpreted to be a pocket of 1999). Transfer of right-lateral shear across the right magmatic brine or partial melt. step between the Airport Lake fault and the Owens Valley fault drives localized crustal extension in the central Coso Range. 55 5 5 5 5 d5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 555 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 g2y22y 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 vine2IIHGxEP 55 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5IPH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IHI 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 d5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IPH 5 5 5 5 5 55 vine2IHTGiEU 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IPH 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 vine2IHWGiEW 5 5 5 5 5 5 IHH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 goso2sh2ptF 5 5 5 IPH 5 5 5 ITH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IRH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 PHH 5 5 5 5 5 5 IRH 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 PPH IPH 5 5 5 5 5 5 vine2IHWGiEW 5 5 5 ITH 5 IVH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 vine2IHTGxET 5 5 5 PRH 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 vine2IISGxES 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IVH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 ITH5 5 5 d 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5IRH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 55 pigure2T d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 2e2x2q2i 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 d 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 vine2IIIGiEIH vine2IIHGxEP 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IVH ITH 5 5 IRH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5PHH 5 5 5 5 IPH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 ITH 5 5 5 d IVH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 vine2IIIGiEII5 2y22i 5 5 5 5 ITH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5d 5 5 IHI 5 5 5 PHH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IHH 5 5 5 5 5 5 IPH 5 5 5 5d5 5 5 5 5 5 IRH 5 5 IVH 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 55 5 5 5 5 5 5ITH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5PPH 5 5 5 5 5 555 5 5 5 5 5 555 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5d 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5IPH d vine2IIRGiEIP5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 IRH 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5PHH 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 goso 5 5IVH 5 5 vine2IIQGxEQ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 555 5 55 555 5 5 5 5 5ITH 5 d 5 55 5 55 555 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 2e2v2v2i2 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5555 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 55 5PHH 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 sh 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 555 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 d 5 5 5 goso2rojet2ere qeology eismiity2@wgFA elluvium qrnodiorite 5 H2E2P 5 P2E2Q x endesite wetsedimentry 5 Q2E2R eismi2rofile2votions fslt wetvolni 5 R2E2T gtlsite ylder2elluvium nd2qeology hite umie hiorite yrolsti QH2meter2ilevtion2ht2ourtesy2of2illim2eevedoD2 q2xwhF httpXGGgisdtFusgsFgovGnedG pnglomerte urtz2monzonite pelsi hyodite H I P uilometers pult2mpping2from2ihrd2hitmrshD qro hyolite httpXGGgeompsFgeoFuknsFeduGhtmlGosoFhtml qrnite uff H I P wiles Figure 2: Geologic map of the central Coso Range showing locations of 2-D seismic reflection profiles acquired and processed for this study.