Workshop on Scientific Drilling and Geothermal Studies, 24th-26th September 2012.

Updated 2012-04-04: Revised first circular and abstract templates.

Date: September 24-26, 2012
Place: Faculty of Earth Sciences, Ruhr University,
Bochum, Germany

Background

Scientific deep drilling projects offer unique opportunities to measure geothermal gradients well below ground surface, where disturbances related to both recent climatic changes and fluid circulation through the bedrock are significantly damped, in particular in areas of tectonic quiescence. Geothermal gradients contain invaluable information on deep, shallow and surface processes but only their study in deep boreholes allows for accurate quantification of these processes. The quality of the temperature data gathered in deep boreholes allows for estimating (1) the thermal state of the lithosphere, (2) the amplitude and timing of surface temperature changes and (3) the volume of fluids circulating in the subsurface. In brief, geothermal studies in connection to deep drilling projects address a variety of scientific problems relevant for disciplines as diverse as climate science and geodynamics. Two 2.5 km-deep holes are planned to be drilled in Central Sweden in the framework of the Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides (COSC) project (www.sddp.se/cosc), supported by the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP). Among other geoscientific aspects, the COSC project addresses the geothermal conditions of the Fennoscandian cratonic lithosphere, studying its present state as well as the signatures of past climatic change. The present workshop aims to summarise the state-of-the-art of geothermal studies in deep boreholes and the present-day knowledge pertaining to data, techniques and models. The discussions and presentations will be specifically structured around but not limited to the following topics:

• Heat flow studies
  • Logging of borehole temperatures, best practice
  • Petrophysical studies of rock thermal properties
  • Constraints on heat generation in the crust
  • Regional studies and the thermal state of the lithosphere

• (Paleo)climatic changes and the geothermal signal
  • Glacial cycles and underground temperatures
  • Geothermal data and paleoclimatic proxies
  • Borehole temperature inversion techniques and modelling

• Heat transfer and fluid flow in the crust
  • Fractures and permeability in crystalline basement
  • Estimation of convective signals
  • Coupled hydrological/geothermal studies

Invited speakers

Vladimír Čermák, Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic (confirmed)
Christoph Clauser, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Atte Korhola, University of Helsinki, Finland
Jacek Majorowicz, University of North Dakota, USA (confirmed)
Yuri Popov, Moscow State Geological Prospecting Academy, Russia (confirmed)

Please download the first circular and abstract template below!