Temperature (C)

0 0 50 100 150 200 250 0

new temperature gradient wells 60C/km

1000

90C/km

2000

Pavant Butte well 120 mW/m2 Extrapolated gradient for 80 mW/m2 and 2 km of basin f

4000

6000

2000

8000

3000

10000

Black Rock Desert, Utah

12000 4000 32 132 232 332 432

Temperature (F)

Temperatures at depth in the Black Rock Desert, Utah, extrapolated from the new gradient wells. The red squares were measured in 1981 when an oil exploration well at Pavant Butte was abandoned.

Depth (feet)

Depth (m)

potential geothermal reservoirs

Location of the new temperature gradient wells in the Black Rock Desert, and the inferred temperature at 3 kilometers depth (10,000 feet; 150C = 300F; 200C = 400F). The contours of gravity outline a basin which roughly coincides with the region of high temperature.

Drill rig on site in the Black Rock Desert.

Illustration of a binary geothermal power plant.