Geothermal monitoring as a way to predict volcanic eruptions and estimate geothermal energy resources

Abstract

Geothermal monitoring is an effective tool for predicting volcanic eruptions, as well as for assessing the geothermal energy potential of geothermal areas. Increased magmatic activity, an indicator of which is the penetration of hot volcanic gases through faults, has been observed in recent years on the Elbrus volcano. Since Elbrus is a year-round resort of world importance, in order to control volcanic and seismic activity, forecast and reduce the risks of eruption and earthquakes, it is recommended to drill a observation well on the slope of Elbrus with the installation of an underground fiber-optic system for temperature and pressure monitoring. In combination with microseismic, gravimetric and inclinometric observations, satellite IR imaging and geochemical gas testing, the continuously obtained information on the thermodynamic conditions of the subsoil will provide a reliable complex for the operational forecast of natural geophysical disasters. Utilization of the geothermal energy of the magma chamber in the artificial circulation systems of small GeoPPs, water injection from the surface and obtaining superheated water and steam from producing wells will reduce the risks of eruption and at the same time provide the resort with environmentally friendly thermal and electric power. Technological justification for the construction of a GeoPP will also require exploratory drilling to the area of hot rocks, therefore information on the distribution of temperature and pressure along the wellbore is doubly valuable. In geothermal fields that are under development, to assess the spatial heterogeneity of the filtration characteristics can be a useful method of “thermal interference testing” – as a complement or alternative to hydrodynamic interference testing. It is recommended to conduct such an experiment at the North Mutnovsky geothermal field.