Hydrochemical Characterization of Groundwaters’ Fluid Flow through the Upper Mesozoic Carbonate Geothermal Reservoirs in the Geneva Basin: An Evolution more than 15,000 Years Long

Luca Guglielmetti, Michael Heidinger, Florian Eichinger and Andrea Moscariello
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Luca Guglielmetti: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Rue des Maraichers 13, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Michael Heidinger: Hydroisotop GmbH, Woelkestraße 9, 85301 Schweitenkirchen, Germany
Florian Eichinger: Hydroisotop GmbH, Woelkestraße 9, 85301 Schweitenkirchen, Germany
Andrea Moscariello: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Rue des Maraichers 13, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-31

Abstract: Groundwaters circulating in Upper Mesozoic carbonates are of great interest for geothermal heat production and storage applications in the Geneva area. This study aims at providing new insights and proposing new interpretations about the mineral-water reactions and the fluid-flow paths mechanisms across the Geneva Basin (GB). Data from previous studies are combined and improved by new ones collected from cold and hot springs and geothermal exploration wells in 2018 and 2020 in the framework of the GEothermies program and HEATSTORE project. Major ions, trace elements, and the isotopes of Oxygen, Hydrogen, Sulfur, Strontium, and Carbo have been analysed and the results show that the sampled waters have a meteoric origin, the carbonate aquifers act as preferential host rocks for geothermal waters, and partial contribution from the Cenozoic sediments can be observed in some samples. The Jura Mountains and the Saleve Ridge are the main catchment areas and an evolution from a pure Ca-HCO 3 footprint for the cold springs, to a Na > Ca-HCO 3 and a Na-Cl composutions, is observed at the two geothermal wells. The residence time is in the order of a few years for the cold springs and reaches up to 15–20,000 years for the deep wells.

Keywords: geothermal energy; fluid geochemistry; deep geothermal resources; sedimentary basin; carbonate reservoirs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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