The Salton Sea Geothermal Field is an active 20 km2 region in southern California, which lies along the Calipatria Fault; an offshoot of the San Andreas Fault. Several geothermal fields (including the Davis-Schrimpf and Sandbar fields) and ten power plants generating 340 MW lie within this region. To better understand the mineral and thermal distribution of the surface, hyperspectral thermal infrared (TIR) data were acquired by The Aerospace Corporation using the Spatially Enhanced Broadchannel Array Spectrograph System (SEBASS) airborne sensor on March 26, 2009 and April 6, 2010. SEBASS collects 128 wavelength channels at 1 meter spatial resolution. Such high resolution data are rarely available for this type of scientific analysis and enabled the identification of mineral assemblages associated with geothermally-active areas. This study was supported by field based thermal readings and surface samples. Thermal readings obtained remotely and in the field are also used to better understand the dynamics of the piping and heat flux this system.
High resolution remote sensing of this area enables the identification of minerals associated with geothermally active areas and the subsequent use as indicator minerals to discover other, previously unknown, active areas. These minerals include anhydrite and one unknown mineral. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed on one of the samples in order to positively identify this mineral and further constrain the TIR analysis.
Data obtained by the SEBASS sensor were later regressed to the 32 channel spectral resolution of the future Mineral and Gas Identifier (MAGI) sensor. At this lower spectral resolution these important geothermal indicator minerals are still effectively identified. Therefore, proving the satellite imager counter-part of this sensor, MAGI-L, would be a much desired follow-on instrument to the 5 TIR channel resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor, by producing accurate identification of surface mineralogy previously not detected by an orbiting sensor.
Work performed during this research has the potential to be used at other geothermal sites to better characterize transient mineralogy, understand the influence of surface and ground water in these systems, and ultimately to identify new geothermal targets for future exploration.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-08182011-185744 |
| Date | 14 September 2011 |
| Creators | Reath, Kevin Andrew |
| Contributors | Ian Skilling, William Harbert, Michael Ramsey |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-08182011-185744/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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