Energy and mass flux in the Upper Rhine Graben (EMURG): a mineral systems approach to hydrothermal regimes in graben structures

上莱茵地堑拥有几个地热发电厂和历史上开采的矿床。热液流体在地热能的热输运和矿床的金属聚集中都起着主要作用。在这个项目中，我们想用一个整体的方法来共同研究这两个系统。集成热量和材料运输允许在整个矿物系统从流体源到金属或散热器的视图。上莱茵河地堑是研究这一问题的最佳地点之一。我们可以通过钻取岩心获取储层的样品，并将岩石与地表露头的等效岩石进行比较。我们将对地热发电厂的历史矿床和结垢进行取样，以研究矿物沉淀机制。我们还将确定温泉和井中地热流体的地球化学。所有这些样品材料都可以在上莱茵地堑中获得，这将使热液流体储层中的流体-岩石相互作用，流体组成到矿物沉淀的整体视图成为可能。我们的调查将包括对各种样品的岩石学和地球化学研究。我们期待流体-岩石相互作用和降水机制的基本发现，特别是通过比较最近的地热发电厂系统与矿床的化石系统。我们想确定能够预测流体来源的地球化学参数。通过这一全面的比较研究，我们期望在像莱茵上河谷这样的地堑构造中获得突破性的热液系统。可能的应用范围从地热能利用和矿床的勘探到发电厂中避免结垢形成的方法的发展。

The Upper Rhine Graben hosts several geothermal power plants and historically mined ore deposits. Hydrothermal fluids play a main role in both, heat transport for geothermal energy and metal accumulation for ore deposits. In this project, we want to jointly investigate both systems with a holistic approach. Integrating heat and material transport allows a view at the entire mineral system from fluid source to metal or heat sink.The Upper Rhine Graben is one of the best sites to study this. We have access to samples from the fluid reservoir through drill cores and can compare the rocks with equivalents from surface outcrop. We will sample historical ore deposits and scalings in geothermal power plants in order to study mineral precipitation mechanisms. We will also determine the geochemistry of hot springs and geothermal fluids from wells. All this sample material is available in the Upper Rhine Graben, which will allow the holistic view from fluid-rock interaction in the reservoir of the hydrothermal fluid, the fluid composition to mineral precipitation.Our investigations will comprise petrological and geochemical studies of the various samples. We expect fundamental findings of fluid-rock interaction and precipitation mechanisms, in particular by comparing the recent systems of geothermal power plants with the fossil systems of ore deposits. We want to determine geochemical parameters that allow predictions about fluid source.With this holistic comparative study, we expect ground-breaking results on hydrothermal systems in graben structures like the Upper Rhine Valley. Possible applications range from exploration for geothermal energy use and ore deposits to the development of methods avoiding the scaling formation in power plants.