Abstract
The Platanares geothermal system is located in a region of active Quaternary tectonism in western Honduras. Although the geothermal area is partially blanketed by Miocene ignimbrites (14.5 m.y.), there are no nearby Quaternary volcanic rocks to suggest a young, subsurface, magmatic heat source. No acid-sulfate waters, indicative of vapor-dominated conditions, exist in the area. Hot spring activity is most vigorous along a 2 km stretch of the Quebrada del Agua Caliente fault zone. Natural discharge is high (33001/min), spring temperatures range from 35 to 100°C, pH ranges from 7 to 9, and total dissolved solids are low (1100 mg/kg). Chemical geothermometers indicate a subsurface reservoir temperature of about 225°C. Three exploration core holes (7.8 cm diameter) have been drilled to a maximum depth of 680 m and maximum temperature of 165°C. Two holes produce copious amounts of water under artesian conditions (5001/min maximum; 5 bars flowing) from fractured red beds of Cretaceous to Eocene age (Valle de Angeles Group). Maximum power output is 4.5 MW (thermal) but CO2 released during flashing formed some aragonite scale in one hole. The third core hole has an apparent conductive gradient of 139°C/km at400m. Downward continuation of this gradient implies that the minimum depth to a possible geothermal resource (225°C) is about 1.5 km.
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© 1995 Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources
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Goff, S. et al. (1995). Prefeasibility Geothermal Assessment of Platanares, Department of Copan, Honduras. In: Miller, R.L., Escalante, G., Reinemund, J.A., Bergin, M.J. (eds) Energy and Mineral Potential of the Central American-Caribbean Region. Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources Earth Science Series, vol 16. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79476-6_35
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