Browsing by Author "Finn, Carol A."

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    Geophysical imaging of the Yellowstone hydrothermal plumbing system
    Finn, Carol A.; Bedrosian, Paul A.; Holbrook, W. Steven; Auken, Esben; Bloss, Benjamin R.; Crosbie, Jade (Springer Nature, 2022-03-23)
    The nature of Yellowstone National Park’s plumbing system linking deep thermal fluids to its legendary thermal features is virtually unknown. The prevailing concepts of Yellowstone hydrology and chemistry are that fluids reside in reservoirs with unknown geometries, flow laterally from distal sources and emerge at the edges of lava flows. Here we present a high-resolution synoptic view of pathways of the Yellowstone hydrothermal system derived from electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility models of airborne geophysical data. Groundwater and thermal fluids containing appreciable total dissolved solids significantly reduce resistivities of porous volcanic rocks and are differentiated by their resistivity signatures. Clay sequences mapped in thermal areas and boreholes typically form at depths of less than 1,000  metres over fault-controlled thermal fluid and/or gas conduits. We show that most thermal features are located above high-flux conduits along buried faults capped with clay that has low resistivity and low susceptibility. Shallow subhorizontal pathways feed groundwater into basins that mixes with thermal fluids from vertical conduits. These mixed fluids emerge at the surface, controlled by surficial permeability, and flow outwards along deeper brecciated layers. These outflows, continuing between the geyser basins, mix with local groundwater and thermal fluids to produce the observed geochemical signatures. Our high-fidelity images inform geochemical and groundwater models for hydrothermal systems worldwide.
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    Geophysical Investigation of the Yellowstone Hydrothermal System
    Dickey, Kira Ann (Virginia Tech, 2018-08-27)
    Yellowstone National Park hosts over 10,000 thermal features (e.g. geysers, fumaroles, mud pots, and hot springs), yet little is known about the hydrothermally active zones hundreds of meters beneath the features. Transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings and 2D direct current (DC) resistivity profiles show that hydrothermal alteration at active sites have a higher electrical conductivity than the surrounding hydrothermally inactive areas. For that reason, airborne TEM is an effective method to characterize large areas and identify hydrothermally active and inactive zones using electrical conductivity. Here we present results from an airborne TEM survey acquired jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Wyoming in November, 2016. We integrate resistivity from the airborne electromagnetic (EM) survey with research drillhole data and rock physics models to investigate the controls on electrical conductivity in the upper few hundreds of meters of the Yellowstone hydrothermal system. Resistivities in Yellowstone are the product of complex variations of lithology, temperature, salinity, clay content, and hydrothermal fluids. Results show that the main drivers in lowering the high resistivitiy of volcanic rocks are water saturation and hydrothermal alteration. Salinities are not significantly elevated in Yellowstone and temperature is not a first order affect.