Snake River Plain FORGE: Site Characterization Data

Description

The site characterization data used to develop the conceptual geologic model for the Snake River Plain site in Idaho, as part of phase 1 of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) initiative. This collection includes data on seismic events, groundwater, geomechanical models, gravity surveys, magnetics, resistivity, magnetotellurics (MT), rock physics, stress, the geologic setting, and supporting documentation, including several papers. Also included are 3D models (Petrel and Jewelsuite) of the proposed site.

Data for wells INEL-1, WO-2, and USGS-142 have been included as links to separate data collections.

These data have been assembled by the Snake River Geothermal Consortium (SRGC), a team of collaborators that includes members from national laboratories, universities, industry, and federal agencies, lead by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Other contributors include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CEAS), the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Boise State University, University of Wyoming, University of Oklahoma, Energy and Geoscience Institute-University of Utah, US Geothermal, Baker Hughes

Campbell Scientific Inc., Chena Power, US Geological Survey (USGS), Idaho Department of Water Resources, Idaho Geological Survey, and Mink GeoHydro.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
Peng and Humphreys 1998 paper on crustal velocity structure of SRP PDF Peng and Humphreys, 1998. "Crustal velocity structure across the eastern Snake River Plain and the Yellowstone swell." Open resource
Sparlin et al 1982 paper on Crustal structure of the Snake River Plain PDF Sparlin et al, 1982. "Crustal structure of the Eastern Snake River Plain determined from ray trace modeling of seismic refraction data." Open resource
Smith et al 1996 paper on extensional structures and volcanic terrains HTML Smith et al, 1996. "Paleoseismology and seismic hazards evaluations in extensional volcanic terrains." Extensional structures in volcanic terrains are the surface expression of shallow dike intrusion and can be misinterpreted as structures associated with major tectonic faults... Open resource
Smith et al 1978 paper on Snake River Plain seismic profiling experiment HTML Smith et al, 1978. "Yellowstone-Eastern Snake River Plain Seismic Profiling Experiment: Crustal structure of the Yellowstone Region and experiment design." Open resource
Panakratz and Ackerman 1982 paper on Seismic Refraction of SRP HTML Panakrazt and Ackerman, 1982. "Structure along the northwest edge of the Snake River Plain interpreted from seismic refraction." Open resource
Anders et al 2014 paper on geologic history of Snake River Plain HTML Anders et al, 2014. "A fixed sublithospheric source for the late Neogene track of the Yellowstone hotspot: Implications of the Heise and Picabo volcanic fields" Open resource
3D Model snapshot no outflow.png PNG A snapshot of the INL site 3D model from JewelSuite showing progressively younger stratigraphic surfaces of the two structural grids derived from the no outflow scenario. Open resource
3D model snapshot outflow.png PNG JewelSuite showing progressively younger stratigraphic surfaces of the two structural grids derived from the outflow scenario. Open resource
3D Petrel no outflow model.zip ZIP 3D model of the INL site. Original Petrel model, no outflow. Open resource
3D Petrel outflow model.zip ZIP 3D Model of the INL site. Original Petrel outflow model. Open resource
3D-JewelSuite-Model1.wrl.zip ZIP 3d Model of the INL site. Model 1 shows a system of nested calderas directly beneath the GRRA and is based largely on correlations of rhyolitic deposits in the mountains north of the ESRP and worldwide relationships between caldera subsidence, diameter, and eruptive volumes. In this model, the boundary between the volcanics and the Paleozoic rocks is steep (~40 to 80 degrees) and the thickness of the volcanic units increases rapidly with distance from the range front. Open resource
3D-JewelSuite-Model2.wrl.zip ZIP 3D model of the INL site. Model 2 shows the same system of calderas shifted to the south, beyond the boundaries of the GRRA. Here we assume that the boundary between volcanics and Paleozoic rocks is defined by a flexural surface that was formed in response to the emplacement of a dense mid-crustal sill beneath the ESRP. This model is supported by the attitudes of ancient fold hinges within the mountains north of the plain. Fold hinges near the boundary of the plain plunge towards the plain at around 30 degrees. North of the plain, the plunge angles decrease in a more or less uniform manner. Thus, in this model, the base of the volcanic system is defined by a planar feature dipping 30 degrees to the south. Open resource
Magnetics ESRP.png PNG Raster map of NRM Aero magnetics of the Easter Snake River Plain Open resource
Isostatic Residual Gravity ESRP.png PNG Raster map showing the isostaic residual gravity of the eastern Snake River Plain from the Idaho Department of Water Resources. Open resource
Rodgers et al 2002 paper on extension in Eastern Snake River Plain.pdf PDF Rodgers et al, 2002. "Extension and Subsidence of the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho." The deformational history of the eastern Snake River Plain (SRP) is interpreted from rocks, structures, and landforms within and adjacent to it. Crustal extension is manifested by west-dipping normal faults that define a halfgraben fault style along the north and south margins of the plain. Open resource
Wannamaker et al 2016 paper on re-inversion of MT data over SRP FORGE.doc Doc Phillip Wannamaker and Virginie Maris, 2016. "Re-Inversion of Long-Period MT Data over the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, In Support of Phase I of the Idaho National Laboratory FORGE Project." Paper outlines a powerful new MT inversion technique based on deformable edge finite elements and all direct solvers, applied to the ESRP in support of the Snake River FORGE project. Open resource
INL Seismic events 1972 - 2012.pdf PDF Map of seismic events on the eastern Snake River Plain between Jan. 1st, 1972 and Dec. 31st, 2012. Open resource
INL Seismic events 2011.pdf PDF Map of seismic events on the eastern Snake River Plain between Jan. 1st and Dec. 31st, 2011. Open resource
INL Seismic events 2012.pdf PDF Map of seismic events on the eastern Snake River Plain between Jan. 1st and Dec. 31st, 2012. Open resource
INL Seismic Monitoring stations.pdf PDF Map shows the locations of INL seismic stations and stations monitored by INL that are operated by other institutions in the eastern Snake River Plain. Open resource
Mabey 1978 paper on gravity and magnetic anomalies in the ESRP.pdf PDF Mabey, 1978. "Regional gravity and magnetic anomalies in the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho." from the Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Open resource
McLing et al 2002 Chemical characteristics of thermal water beneath ESRP.pdf PDF McLing et al, 2002. "Chemical characteristics of thermal water beneath the eastern Snake River Plain." The eastern Snake River Plain aquifer is among the largest and most productive aquifers in the United States. doi: 10.1130/0-8137-2353-1.205 Open resource
McQuarrie et al 1998 paper on Snake River Plain volcanic basin.pdf PDF Nadine McQuarrie and David Rogers, 1998. "Subsidence of a volcanic basin by flexure and crustal flow: The eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho." Open resource
In-Situ Stress and Natural Fracturing.pdf PDF Paper characterizing stress and natural fracturing on the INEL site. Moos and Barton, 1990. "In-situ Stress and Natural Fracturing at the INEL Site", Idaho_EGG-NPR-10631 Open resource
Podgorney et al 2013 GRC paper on EGS potential of the ESRP.pdf PDF Podgorney et al, 2013. "Enhanced Geothermal system Potential for sites on the Eastern snake river Plain, Idaho." from the 37th Geothermal Resource Council Annual Meeting. The Snake River volcanic province overlies a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle and represents one of the highest heat flow provinces in North America... Open resource
Resistivity data SRP Zohdy and Stanley 1973.pdf PDF Geoelectric section across the Snake River Plain from Blackfoot to Arco, Idaho, from Zohdy and Stanley 1973. Open resource
Resistivity map SRP Zohdy and Stanley 1973.pdf PDF Map of data points from Zohdy and Stanley 1973 resisitivty survey of the Snake River Plain from Blackfoot to Arco, Idaho. Open resource
Resistivity section SRP Zohdy and Stanley 1973.pdf PDF Zohdy and Stanley, 1973. "Preliminary Interpretation of Electrical Sounding Curves Obtained Across the Snake River Plain from Blackfoot to Arco, Idaho." Original report, contains raw sounding curves. Open resource
Snake River Plain well heads.xlsx XLS A list of well heads in the proposed FORGE site area of the Eastern Snake River Plain. The spreadsheet contains names, coordinates, target depth, and elevation for each of the well heads. Open resource
Well Data for USGS-142 HTML Collection of data on the USGS-142 well amassed by the SRGC for Snake River Plain FORGE. Open resource
Well Data for WO-2 HTML Collection of data on the WO-2 well amassed by the SRGC for Snake River Plain FORGE. Open resource
Well Data for INEL-1 HTML Collection of data on the INEL-1 well amassed by the SRGC for Snake River Plain FORGE. Open resource
INL Seismic Monitoring 2010 Annual Report Unknown 2010 annual report detailing seismic events in the Snake River Plain and within a 100 mile radius of the Idaho National Lab (Intended to supplement the broken link associated with "INL Seismic Monitoring 2010 Annual Report - UNAVAILABLE") Open resource
INL Seismic Monitoring 2011 Annual Report Unknown 2011 annual report detailing seismic events in the Snake River Plain and within a 100 mile radius of the Idaho National Lab (Intended to substitute the broken link in "INL Seismic Monitoring 2011 Annual Report - UNAVAILABLE") Open resource
INL Seismic Monitoring 2012 Annual Report Unknown 2012 annual report detailing seismic events in the Snake River Plain and within a 100 mile radius of the Idaho National Lab (Intended to substitute the broken link in "INL Seismic Monitoring 2012 Annual Report - UNAVAILABLE") Open resource
Morse 2002 Thesis INL Site Characteristics Paper HTML Paper detailing SRP characteristics including detailed information on several wells in the INL area, including INEL-1, WO-2, and USGS-142. "Basalt alteration and authigenic mineralization near the effective base of the SRP aquifer at the INEEL, Idaho." by Lee H. Morse. Open resource
Snake River Plain Geothermal Region HTML OpenEI webpage with background information about the Snake River Plain Geothermal Region Open resource
McCurry et al SGW 2016 paper on geologic setting of INL Geothermal Research Area PDF McCurry et al, 2016. "Geologic Setting of the Idaho National Laboratory Geothermal Resource Research Area." From the 2016 Stanford Geothermal Workshop. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has designated ~100 km2 of the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP), along the track of the Yellowstone Hot Spot, as a Geothermal Resource Research Area (GRRA). Open resource
Plummer et al 2016 SGW Paper Modeling Heat Flow in ESRP Aquifer PDF Plummer et al, 2016. "Modeling Heat Flow in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer." from the 41st Stanford Geothermal Workshop. The Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) in southern Idaho is a region with significant potential as a geothermal energy resource. Open resource
Welhan et al 2016 SGW Paper on the Thermal and Geochemical Anomalies in the ESRP PDF Welhan et al, 2016. "Thermal and Geochemical Anomalies in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer: Contributions to a Conceptual Model of the Proposed FORGE Test Site." from the 41st Stanford Geothemal Workshop. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Information System (NWIS) database reveal the existence of a number of thermally anomalous areas on the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer, most of them near its margins, and NWIS temperature and chemistry data provided conclusive evidence that thermal waters originating in the hot rhyolitic rocks underlying the ESRP basalts inject heat and solute mass into the overlying ESRP aquifer. Open resource
Payne at all 2008 snake river plain strain rates paper HTML "Strain rates and contemporary deformation in the Snake River Plain and surrounding Basin and Range from GPS and seismicity", Suzette J. Payne, Robert McCaffrey and Robert W. King, 2008. Open resource
Leeman et al 2008 paper on Snake River Plain - Yellowstone volcanism HTML Leeman et al, 2008. "Snake River Plain - Yellowstone silicic volcanism: implications for magma genesis and magma fluxes" Open resource
Bakshi et al 2016 SGW paper on geomechanical characterization of SRP FORGE core HTML Bakshi et al, 2016. "Geomechanical Characterization of Core from the Proposed FORGE Laboratory on the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho." from the 41st Stanford Geothermal Workshop. This paper presents the results of a geomechanical characterization of cores from a well in the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, near the proposed site for a FORGE EGS Laboratory. Open resource
Grana et al 2016 SGW Paper on Rock Physics Modeling Snake River Plain FORGE HTML Grana et al, 2016. "Rock Physics Modeling for the Potential FORGE Site on the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho" by Dario Grana, Sumit Verma, and Robert Podgorney, at the 2016 Stanford Geothermal Workshop. Open resource
Furlong 1979 analytical stress model paper HTML "An analytic stress model applied to the Snake River Plain (Northern Basin and Range province U.S.A.)" Kevin P. Furlong, 1979. Open resource
DeNosaquo et al 2009 paper on Snake River Plain density models HTML DeNosaquo et al, 2009. "Density and lithospheric strength models of the Yellowstone–Snake River Plain volcanic system from gravity and heat flow data." The structure and composition of the Yellowstone–Snake River Plain (YSRP) volcanic system were analyzed using gravity data taken at over 30,000 stations in the YSRP and surrounding region. Open resource
Leeman et al 2009 paper on thermal structure beneath Snake River Plain HTML William Leeman, Derek Schutt, and Scott Hughes, 2009. "Thermal structure beneath the Snake River Plain: Implications for the Yellowstone hotspot." Open resource
McLing et al 2016 Paper on Wellbore and Groundwater Temperature Distribution in ESRP HTML McLing et al, 2016. "Wellbore and Groundwater Temperature Distribution Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho: Implications for Groundwater Flow and Geothermal Potential." A map of groundwater temperatures from the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) regional aquifer can be used to identify and interpret important features of the aquifer, including aquifer flow direction, aquifer thickness, and potential geothermal anomalies. The ESRP is an area of high heat flow, yet most of this thermal energy fails to reach the surface, due to the heat being swept downgradient by the aquifer to the major spring complexes near Thousand Springs, ID, a distance of 300 km. Open resource
Podgorney et al 2016 SGW Overview of Snake River Plain FORGE Site HTML Podgorney et al, 2016. "A Snake River Plain Field Laboratory for Enhanced Geothermal Systems: An Overview of the Snake River Geothermal Consortium’s Proposed FORGE Site." from the 41st Stanford Geothermal Workshop. Open resource

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