Joule heating and pore pressure evolution, magmatic intrusions at continental rifts, and microseisms in Yellowstone Lake

Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to investigate research topics related to geothermal resources. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis and motivates the need to study research topics in relevant geothermal environments, and develop new technologies to economically extract heat from these resources. In Chapter 2, microseism events in Yellowstone National Park are studied. Yellowstone is located in one of the most seismically active volcanic calderas in the world and is a widely studied area for investigating physical (e.g., faulting) and chemical (e.g., hydrothermal venting) relationships in geothermal systems. Chapter 3 describes dike intrusion modeling research I conducted early in my graduate studies including the feedback mechanisms between magma injection at plate spreading centers and topographic development. Chapter 4 represents a shift in my research interests from science to engineering problems relevant for geothermal heat extraction. In this chapter, I describe the design process for developing a novel experimental approach to study the effects of applying a high-voltage to saturated rock specimens under in-situ states of stress. This novel “Electric Rock Fracturing” experimental set-up is used in Chapter 5, the final chapter of this thesis, to study the effects of high-voltage application on the temperature, electrical conductivity, and permeability of brine saturated Berea Sandstone rock specimens.