DOE/ET/28392-34
79-1701.b.1.2.3
ESL-24
GEOLOGY OF THE SODA LAKE GEOTHERMAL AREA
Bruce S. S i b b e t t
December , 1979
EARTH SCIENCE LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH INSTITUTE
420 Chipeta Nay, Suite 120
Sal t Lake City, UT 84108
oh
MSTPIQUnOH OF Tt!lS DOCUMENT K3 UNLIMITEO
DISCLAIMER
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Government nor any agency Thereof, nor any of their employees,
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Government or any agency thereof.
DISCLAIMER
Portions of this document may be illegible in
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CONTENTS
PAGE
1'
............................
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GEOLOGIC SETTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IGNEOUS A C T I V I T Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SUBSURFACE INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SURFACE ALTERATION AND SINTER DEPOSITS . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STRUCTURE
...
.
.
. .
HEAT FLOW AND TEMPERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABSTRACT
*
1
2
2
6
7
8
9
10
10
11
12
14
L i t h o l o g i c l o g o f Chevron Resources Company Soda Lake 44-5
L i t h o l o g i c l o g of Chevron Resources Company Soda Lake 1-29
L i t h o l o g i c l o g o f Chevron Resources Company Soda Lake 11-33
L i t h o l o g i c l o g o f Chevron Resources Company Soda Lake 63-33
ILLUSTRATIONS
F i g u r e 1 Index map o f C h u r c h i l l County, Nevada
Figure 2
Plate 1
........
3
Geology o f t h e Soda Lake area, C h u r c h i l l County,
Nevada
5
Soda Lake w e l l l o g c o r r e l a t i o n , C h u r c h i l l County,
Nevada..........
inpocket
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
..............
ABSTRACT
The Soda Lake geothermal area i s l o c a t e d i n t h e Carson D e s e r t ,
w e s t - c e n t r a l Nevada.
H o t s p r i n g s a c t i v i t y has o c c u r r e d i n t h e Soda Lake area
i n t h e p a s t , r e s u l t i n g i n s u r f a c e d e p o s i t s which have m o t i v a t e d p r e s e n t
I
geothermal e x p l orati.on.
The geothermal anomaly is i n Q u a t e r n a r y c l a s t i c
sediments w h i c h a r e as much as 4600 f e e t t h i c k .
The sediments c o n s i s t o f
i n t e r b e d d e d d e l t a i c , l a c u s t r i n e , and a1 1 u v i a l sediments.
Q u a t e r n a r y b a s a l t i c igneous a c t i v i t y has produced c i n d e r cones, p h r e a t i c
e x p l o s i o n s t h a t formed t h e maar occupied b y Soda Lake, and p o s s i b l e d i k e s .
Opal d e p o s i t i o n and s o i l a l t e r a t i o n a r e r e s t r i c t e d t o a small area two
m i l e s n o r t h o f Soda Lake.
The l o c a t i o n o f h o t s p r i n g s a c t i v i t y and t h e
surface thermal anomaly may be p a r t i a l l y c o n t r o l l e d b y n o r t h - n o r t h e a s t I
trending faul ts.
1
INTRODUCTION
The Soda Lake geothermal a r e a i s l o c a t e d i n the Carson Desert, i n western
C h u r c h i 11 County, west-central Nevada (Figure 1 ) .
Thermal waters were f i r s t discovered i n the Carson Desert i n 1903 when a
well d r i l l e d a t the s i t e of an e x t i n c t h o t s p r i n g n o r t h e a s t o f Soda Lake h i t
h o t water a t a d e p t h of 60 f e e t ( G a r s i d e and S c h i l l i n g , 1979, P. 9 ) .
I
The
mixture o f steam and water produced by the well was used t o furnish steam t o a
bathhouse u n t i l sometime a f t e r 1950.
The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation and the
U. S. Geological Survey d r i l l e d s e v e r a l temperature g r a d i e n t h o l e s over the
Soda Lake anomaly d u r i n g 1972 and 1973.
These h o l e s were d r i l l e d t o a d e p t h
of about 33 m and temperature and thermal g r a d i e n t s were measured.
and o t h e r s (1975) r e p o r t e d the results o f this program.
Olmsted
Chevron Resources
Company became interested i n the a r e a i n the e a r l y 1970s and has d r i l l e d
s e v e r a l e x p l o r a t i o n h o l e s i n the Soda Lake a r e a (Hi1 1 and o t h e r s , 1979).
Chevron encountered temperatures i n excess o f 365OF i n e x p l o r a t o r y h o l e s ( H i l l
and others, 1979).
The p r e s e n t s t u d y was u n d e r t a k e n a s p a r t o f t h e I n d u s t r y C o u p l e d C a s e
S t u d i e s Program of the Department o f Energy, D i v i s i o n o f Geothermal Energy.
The o b j e c t i v e s of this study a r e t o present the g e o l o g i c s e t t i n g of the YGRA
and t h e s u b s u r f a c e information a v a i l a b l e from the Chevron well c u t t i n g s .
GEOLOGIC SETTING
T h e rocks exposed w i t h i n the Carson Desert c o n s i s t of Quaternary t o
Recent , poor1 y consol i dated sediments and m i nor basal t i c vol cani c rocks.
2
0
I
IIO
20
I
30 MILES
I
NEVADA
F i g u r e 1.
i n d e x m a p of C h u r c h i l l C o u n t y , N e v a d a .
3
During the Quarternary the Carson Desert was f i l l e d w i t h l a c u s t r i n e
sediments, alluvium, wind-blown sand, and i n the southwest p a r t by d e l t a i c and
f l u v i a l d e p o s i t s r e l a t e d t o the Carson River.
s u r f i c i a l deposits.
Morrison (1964) r e p o r t e d on the
T h e c u r r e n t study emphasizes the s u b s u r f a c e deDosits
w i t h i n the b a s i n .
I
Lake Lahontan and younger l a k e sediments cover most o f the b a s i n .
Recent
sand dunes, p l a y a , and f l u v i a l sediments have covered o r reworked t h e
I
1 a c u s t r i ne d e p o s i t s i n some a r e a s .
Morri son ( 1964) d i v i d e d the Lake Lahontan
d e p o s i t s i n t o s e v e r a l formations.
T h e Sehoo and Wyemaha formation c o n s i s t s of
l a c u s t r i n e sand, s i l t and c l a y , and the F a l l o n formations c o n s i s t o f a l l u v i a l
V
sand and s i l t ( F i g u r e 2 ) .
These .formations could n o t be d i s t i n g u i s h e d i n
d r i 11 c u t t i n g s from ol der Q u a t e r n a r y rocks p e n e t r a t e d i n the d r i 1 1 hol es.
Bouguer g r a v i t y studies (Wahl , 1965; E r w i n and Berg, 1977) i n d i c a t e t h a t
the d e p t h o f a l l u v i a l f i l l v a r i e s c o n s i d e r a b l y a c r o s s the Carson Desert.
Wahl
(1965) interpreted 1 ows o f 30 mil 1 i g a l s amp1 it u d e w i t h i n the Carson Sink
(compared t o g r a v i t y v a l u e s along the western f r o n t o f the S t i l l w a t e r Range)
t o i n d i c a t e about 10,000 f e e t of alluvium.
A low o f the same amplitude i s
l o c a t e d s o u t h o f F a l l o n i n the Carson Lake a r e a .
Between these two lows,
g r a v i t y and g e o l o g i c d a t a i n d i c a t e a bedrock ridge under thinner a l l u v i a l
cover.
Soda Lake 44-5 and Carson Sink #1 ( F i g u r e 2 1 , l o c a t e d i n the southwest
p a r t of the Carson Desert, p e n e t r a t e d Quaternary sediments t o a d e p t h of 4600
feet.
4
as
E X PLANATION
1
Opal cemented sand
/
Fallon fm. alluvium-sand, silt
I
I
Ovs
1 Volcanic
El
I
as
/
sand
Sehoo fm, Lake sediment sand,
silt, clay
036-78
0
OW
J
r/
63-33
Wyemaha fm. Lake sed., sand
\I
\J
Contacts generalized from
Morrison, 1964
I
I
on aerial photos
,,)Linearr
6333Chevron geothermal test wells
I
S c a l e 1:62.500
t
I
I
To Reno
(c
T
15
N
Os
R 2 7 E . l R.28 E.
Figure 2.
Geology o f the Soda bake area, Churchill Co.,
Nevada.
... .
- . .-
.. ... - - ..
...
... . -....
.
- --
. .... . ......
....
._
.
Subsurface i n f o r m a t i o n i n t h e Soda Lake area comes from s i x holes,
C h e v r o n ' s Soda Lake 44-5,
uranium e x p l o r a t i o n h o l e ( F i g u r e 2 ) .
Appendix.
1
11-33, 36-78 and t h e Carson Sink W
1-29, 53-33,
Logs f o r t h e Chevron h o l e s a r e i n t h e
The sediments i n t h e d r i l l h o l e s a r e p o o r l y s o r t e d l i t h i c and
a r k o s i c sand, s i l t , t u f f a c e o u s mudstone, c l a y , and g r a v e l .
The c o a r s e r
sediments a r e p r o b a b l y d e l t a i c and a l l u v i a l f a n d e p o s i t s o f t h e Carson R i v e r ,
whereas s It, wudstone, and c l a y i n t e r b e d s a r e p r o b a b l y l a c u s t r i n e and p l a y a
sediments
IGNEOUS A C T I V I T Y
Igneous r o c k s i n t h e Soda Lake area c o n s i s t o f b a s a l t i c c i n d e r cones and
d i k e s o r f l ows
.
Upsal Hogback, seven m i l e s n o r t h e a s t o f Soda Lake, i s composed o f
o v e r l a p p i n g b a s a l t i c t u f f cones.
M o r r i s o n (1964, p. 3 8 ) suggested t h a t t h e
cones were o f Wyemaha age (30,000 t o 45,000 y e a r s o l d ) .
o l i v i n e - r i c h , m o s t l y sand t o p e b b l e - s i t e ,
The b a s a l t i c t u f f i s
and was d e p o s i t e d s u b a e r i a l l y
( M o r r i s o n , 1964, p. 3 8 ) .
Soda and L i t t l e Soda Lakes occupy c r a t e r s formed b y r n u l t i o l e p h r e a t i c
e x p l o s i o n s and v o l c a n i c e r u p t i o n s .
The c r a t e r r i m c o n s i s t s o f v o l c a n i c sand,
l a p i l l i , and l a c u s t r i n e d e p o s i t s ( M o r r i s o n , 1964, u . 7 1 ) .
The l a s t e r u p t i o n
was s u b a e r i a l and p o s t - d a t e d t h e l a s t l a k e r i s e t o t h a t l e v e l .
A sample o f b a s a l t from R a t t l e Snake H i l l
, north
y i e l d e d a whole-rock potassium-argon age o f 1.05
personal communication , 1979).
6
o f F a l l o n ( F i g u r e 11,
0.05 m.y.
( S t a n Evans,
Subsurface b a s a l t i c rocks w i t h i n the Quaternary alluvium were o e n e t r a t e d
i n Soda Lake 1-29, 11-33, and 63-33.
The igneous rocks consist of
9’
non-porphyri t i c pyroxene b a s a l t w i t h t r a c h y t i c texture.
No evidence o f
vesicles or amygdaloids i n the b a s a l t was found i n the c u t t i n g s , and the
\
sediments i n c o n t a c t w i t h the t h i c k b a s a l t intercept i n Soda Lake 1-29 a r e
a l t e r e d above and below the b a s a l t .
d i k e s rather t h a n flows.
T h i s s u g g e s t s t h a t the b a s a l t o c c u r s as
The b a s a l t s i n Soda Lake 63-33 and 11-33 are
p e t r o l o g i c a l l y i d e n t i c a l t o the basalts i n Soda Lake 1-29 and d i f f e r e n t from
the b a s a l t of the P l e i s t o c e n e b a s a l t flows p e n e t r a t e d i n Soda Lake 44-5.
SUBSURFACE INFORMATION
Subsurface s t r a t i g r a p h i c information i n the Soda Lake a r e a i s based on
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f d r i l l c u t t i n g s from six holes:
Soda Lake 44-5, 1-29, 11-33,
56-33, and 36-78, d r i l l e d by Chevron (Earth Science Laboratory, 1979), and
Carson Sink #1 (Horton, 1978).
C i thology l o g s f o r Soda Lake 44-5, 1-29,
11-33, and 66-33 a r e included i n the Appendix and a l o g summary i s presented
on Plate 1.
Soda Lake 44-5 and Carson S i n k #1 each penetrated 4,600 f e e t o f
Quaternary sediments ( P l a t e 1 ) . Below t h e s e sediments i s a sequence of t h i c k ,
v e s i c u l a r , o l i v i n e and a u g i t e b a s a l t flows.
These flows a r e i n t e r p r e t e d t o be
the P1 iocene t o e a r l y P l e i s t o c e n e Bunejug formation (Morrison, 1964, p . 1 4 ) .
The Carson Sink f l hole p e n e t r a t e d over 3000 feet of b a s a l t and a n d e s i t e flows
(Horton, 1978). Below the b a s a l t flows i s an a l t e r e d , welded ash-flow t u f f .
Soda Lake 1-29 encountered a pyroxene gabbro below the sediments a t a depth o f
3940 f e e t .
7
Tuffs and tuffaceous sand a n d mudstone are Dredominant below a depth of
2400 f e e t .
The basal eight hundred f e e t of Quaternary sediments are poorly
sorted mudstone, sand, s i l t , and t u f f .
These a r e overlain by organic-rich,
laminated mudstone which may represent the f i r s t lake event o r a deltaic
swamp.
I
A channel gravel has replaced most of the mudstone u n i t i n Soda Lake
44-5 ( P l a t e 1 ) . Above the organic-rich mudstone i s 250 f e e t of sand and
mudstone, which may also be lacustrine, overlain by 230 f e e t of mudstone,
s i l t s t o n e , a n d shale with organic carbon.
In the next 2000 f e e t , between a
depth o f 3000 f e e t and 1000 f e e t , individual beds cannot be correlated.
In
general, sand and gravel predoqinate i n the Carson S i n k #1 hole and
finer-grained sand t o clay are present i n the holes n o r t h of Soda Lake.
The basalt intercepts between 1300 and 2000 f e e t i n Soda Lake 1-29,
11-33, and 63-33 are petrographically identical.
These basalts are thought t o
be dikes and were discussed in the Igneous A c t i v i t , y section of t h i s report.
The b a s a l t i c crystal ash a t 1520 f e e t i n Soda Lake 44-5 has tabular p l a g i o clase phenocryst and i s d i s t i n c t from basalt dikes.
A unit consisting o f shale, mudstone, and f i n e sand occurs between a
depth o f 700 and 1000 f e e t i n the four d r i l l holes i n which cuttings are
These rocks probably formed i n a deep
available for t h i s interval ( P l a t e 1).
lake environment.
The Lake Lahontan formations probably account f o r only the
upper 400 f e e t of sediments (Morrison, 1964).
SURFACE ALTERATION AND SINTER DEPOSITS
Hot springs deposits and a l t e r a t i o n are r e s t r i c t e d t o several small areas
8
two miles n o r t h of Soda Lake (Figure 2 ) .
Here the soil has been a1 tered t o
kaolinite, i r o n oxides, and hydroxides (Olmsted and others, 1975, p . 103).
The a l t e r a t i o n extends a b o u t two hundred f e e t t o the section l i n e road west of
an abandoned steam well and approximately one hundred f e e t t o the e a s t where
i t i s covered by a sand dune.
Shallow hand-dug p i t s have exposed b r i g h t l y
colored a l t e r a t i o n a few inches be ow the surface i n the low area around the
steam we1 1
.
The hot springs deposits cons s t of small areas o f opal-cemented sand i n
the SE 1 / 4 of section 29 and the NE 1 / 4 of section 32 (Figure 2 ) .
Opal
replaced grass stems are abundant locally and opallized b r u s h stems are also
present, while opal-filled fractures were found a t one location.
The
opal-cemented sand i s deeply eroded and sand dunes have partly covered some
outcrops.
Alteration coloration was n o t evident i n the sinter-cemented
outcrops.
STRUCTURE
The dominant f a u l t trend around the Carson Desert i s northeast.
Linears
on a e r i a l photographs o f the Soda Lake area have a north-northeast trend
(Figure 21, and several short l i n e a r s were found near Soda Lake 1-29 and
11-33.
One l i n e a r extends from opa1;cemented sand t o the altered area of the
o l d steam well (Figure 2 ) .
T h i s photo l i n e a r coincides w i t h the thermal plume
and a NE-SW-trending f a u l t , defined from seismic reflection (Hill and others,
1979).
The surface expression indicates r e l a t i v e movement down t o the SE
(Figure 2 ) .
vi1 1 and others ( 1979) concl uded t h a t the f a u l t dipped SE and
formed the boundary of a NE-trending graben.
9
Offset on the p h o t o linears
appears t o be a few f e e t a t most.
Some evidence f o r f a u l t i n g was found i n t h e
c u t t i n g s i n t h e f o r m o f gouge and s l i c k e n s i d e s u r f a c e s on c h i p s ; l o c a t i o n s of
t h e p o s s i b l e f a u l t i n t e r c e p t s a r e shown on P l a t e 1.
There a r e no marker beds
which c o u l d be used t o demonstrate o f f s e t between h o l e s .
The sedimentary
f a c i e s c o r r e l a t e d between h o l e s c o u l d be o f f s e t a few t e n s o f feet.
HEAT FLOW AND TEMPERATURE
I
Olmsted and o t h e r s (1975, p. 115) e s t i m a t e d a c o n d u c t i v e h e a t d i s c h a r g e
o f 3.2 x 106 c a l / s e c as a minimum f r o m t h e Soda Lake thermal anomaly enclosed
by t h e 2OOC i s o t h e r m a t a depth o f 30 m.
Chemical analyses were made o f
s e v e r a l w a t e r samples f r o m two i n t e r v a l s i n C h e v r o n ' s Soda Lake 1-29 t e s t h o l e
( E a r t h Science L a b o r a t o r y , 1979).
Cal c u l a t e d r e s e r v o i r t e m e r a t u r e s u s i n g t h e
s i l i c a geothermorneter averaged 183oC f o r b o t h t e s t i n t e r v a l s w i t h a range o f
176' t o 192OC f o r 6 samples.
The measured temperature i n t h e l o w e r i n t e r v a l ,
1008-1531 f e e t deeo, averaged 174OC.
H i l l and o t h e r s (1979) e s t i m a t e d a
r e s e r v o i r t e m p e r a t u r e i n excess o f 4 0 0 0 ~( 1 9 0 0 ~ ) .
CONCLUSIONS
The Soda Cake thermal anomaly i s l o c a t e d i n t h i c k Q u a t e r n a r y c l a s t i c
sediments.
I n general t h e sediments a r e c o a r s e r t o t h e southwest and f i n e r t o
t h e n o r t h and n o r t h e a s t .
The g r a v e l s found i n Soda Lake 44-5 and Carson S i n k
Y 1 a r e p r o b a b l y channel d e p o s i t s w h i l e t h e few c l e a n sand zones may be beach
deposits.
There i s a g r e a t e r s i m i l a r i t y between Carson Sink f l and Soda Lake
44-5, which a r e f i v e m i l e s a p a r t , t h a n between Soda Lake 44-5 and Soda Lake
1-29, which a r e o n l y 2 m i l e s a p a r t .
T h i s i s p r o b a b l y because Carson Sink #1
10
#
and Soda Lake 44-5 a r e both i n the d e l t a - a l l u v i a l f a n f a c i e s , b u t Soda Lake
1-29, 11-33, and 63-33 a r e i n the lake-playa f a c i e s o f d e p o s i t i o n .
The a r e a
3'
of d e l t a i c o r l a c u s t r i n e d e p o s i t i o n s h i f t e d a t times due t o rise and f a l l o f
the b a s i n l a k e , b u t the d e l t a - a l l u v i a l f a n g e n e r a l l y extended from the
southwest t o just north of Soda Lake.
Soda Lake 1-29, 63-33, and 11-33 a r e i n finer sediments than Soda Lake
44-5 and Carson S i n k #1 t o the south.
I
Most of the c u t t i n g s from Soda Lake
1-29 a r e of s i l t y and sandy mudstone derived from t u f f a c e o u s m a t e r i a l .
the
All of
t u f f s intercepted have undergone f l u v i a1 t r a n s p o r t .
The Q u a t e r n a r y sediments a r e 4600 feet t h i c k and o v e r l a y b a s a l t flow
under Soda Lake and t o the west.
Two miles north of Soda Lake gabbro i s
over1 a i n by the sediments.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish t o c r e d i t Ed C . B i n g l e r f o r the l i t h o l o g i c l o g o f the Carson Sink
#1 Borehole w h i c h was published i n the Bendix r e p o r t (Horton, 1978) and was
used i n this r e p o r t .
Helpful c o n s u l t a t i o n on c u t t i n g s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n was
provided by J e f f Hulen.
Valuable guidance i n the p r e p a r a t i o n o f t h i s r e p o r t
was given by Joe Moore, and the c r i t i c a l reviews o f the manuscript by J o e
Moore and Howard Ross a r e a p p r e c i a t e d .
The d r a f t i n g was done by Oawnetta
B o l a r i s and Connie Pixton and t y p i n g by Lucy S t o u t .
11
3'
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Axel rod, D. I . , 1956, Mio-P1 iocene Floras from west-central Flevada:
Geol. S c i . , v . 33.
B i n g l e r , E . C . 1978, Abandonment of the name Hartford Hill Rhyol i t e Tuff
and adoption of new formation names f o r Yiddle Tertiary Ash-Flow T u f f s i n
the Carson C i t y - S i l v e r C i t y Area, Nevada: IJ. S . Geol Survey Bull .
.
1457-D, 19 p.
Bonham, Harold F., 1969, Geology and mineral d e p o s i t s of Washoe and S t o r e y
Counties, Nevada: Nev. Bur. Mines, B u l l . 70, 140- P .
Earth Science Laboratory, 1979, Chevron Resources ComDany d a t a f o r Soda
Lake: S a l t Lake C i t y , Open-file release, March, 1979, C2C 8-9.
.
.
E r w i n , J W . , and Berg, J C . , 1977, Bouquer g r a v i t y map o f Nevada, Reno
Sheet: Nev. Bur. Mines, Geol Map 58.
.
G a r s i d e , L . *I., and S c h i l l i n g , J . H . ,
Bur. o f Mines, Bull. 91, 163 p .
Garside, L
1973:
1979, Thermal waters o f Nevada:
Nev.
. J ., 1974,
Geothermal e x p l o r a t i o n and development i n Nevada throuqh
Nev. Bur. o f Mines, Rept. 21, 12 p .
H i l l , D. G . , Layman, E . R . , S w i f t , C . Y . , and Yunqul, S . H . , 1979, Soda
Lake, Nevada, thermal anomaly: Geoth. Res. Council, T r a n s a c t i o n s , v . 3 ,
p. 305-308.
Horton, Robert C . , 1978, L i t h o l o g i c 1oq and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f instrument l o g s ,
N U R E Project, Carson Sink, Nevada, Bore Hole: Bendix F i e l d Enq. C o r p . ,
GJBX
53(78), 36 p.
-
Langenheim, R . L . J r . , and Larson E . R . , 1973, C o r r e l a t i o n o f G r e a t Basin
S t r a t i g r a P h i c units: Nev. Bur. o f Mines, B u l l . 72, 36 p .
Mariner, R. H., Rapp, J . B., Willey, L . M . , and Presser, T. S . , 1974, T h e
chemical composition and e s t i m a t e d m i n i m u m thermal reservoir temperatures
of the p r i n c i p a l h o t s p r i n g s of n o r t h e r n and c e n t r a l Nevada: U. S. Geol .
Survey, Ooen-File Report 74-1066, 32 p .
Moore, James G . , 1969, Geology and mineral d e p o s i t s of Lyon, Douglas, and
Ormsby Counties, Nevada: Nev. Bur. Mines, B u l l . 75, 45 D .
;4orrison, R . B . , 1964, Lake Lahontan: Geology o f Southern Carson g e s e r t ,
Nevada: U. S. Geol Survey, P r o f . Paper 401.
.
Nielson, R . L . , 1954, R i g h t - l a t e r a l s t r i k e - s l i p f a u l t i n g i n the Nalker Lane,
west-central Nevada: Geol SOC. o f Am. B u l l . , v. 75, p . 1301-1308.
.
12
Olmsted, F. H., 1977, Use of temperature surveys a t a depth o f 1 meter i n
geothermal e x p l o r a t i o n i n Nevada: U . S . %eo1. Survey, P r o f . P . 1044-6,
25 p.
Olmsted, F. H . , Glaney, P . A . , H a r r i l l , J . R., R u s h , F. E., and Van Denburgh,
A. S. , 1975 , Prel iminary hydrogeol o g i c a p p r a i s a l o f s e l e c t e d hydrothermal
systems i n northern and central Nevada: U . S. Geol. Survey, Open-File
Rept. 75-56, 267 p .
I
Page, B. M . , 1965, P r e l i m i n a r y geologic map of a p a r t of the S t i l l w a t e r Range,
C h u r c h i l l County, Nevada: Nev. Bur. Mines, Geol Map 28.
.
McKee, E . H . , and Speed, R . C . , 1972, A T e r t i a r y v o l c a n i c
center, west-central Nevada: Geol. SOC. Am. B u l l . , v. 8 3 , p . 1383-1396.
Riehle, J . R.,
I
,
R ush, F. E . , 1972, Hydrologic reconnaissance of Big and L i t t l e Soda Lakes,
C h u r c h i l l County, Nevada: Nevada S t a t e , Dept. Cons. and Nat. Res., D i v .
Water Res., Rept. 11.
Silberman, M. L . , and McKee, E . H., 1972, A summary o f r a d i o m e t r i c age
d e t e r m i n a t i o n s on T e r t i a r y v o l c a n i c rocks from Nevada and eastern
C a l i f o r n i a : P a r t 11, Western Nevada: Isochron/West, no. 4 , Aug.
Speed, R . C . , 1975 , Carbonate b r e c c i a (rauhwacke) nappes o f the Carson S i n k
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.
S t a n l e y , W. D., Wahl, R. R . , and Rosenbaum, J . G . , 1976, A m a g n e t o - t e l l u r i c
study of S t i l l w a t e r - S o d a Lake, Nevada geothermal a r e a : U . S. Geol.
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Swanberg, C . A . , and Alexander, S . , 1979, Use of water q u a l i t y f i l e WATSTORE
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C a l i f o r n i a : Geol., v . 7 , p. 108-111.
.
T r e x l e r , D. T. , Bel 1 , E. J , and Roguemore, G . R. , 1978, Eva1 u a t i o n of
lineament a n a l y s i s a s an e x p l o r a t i o n technique f o r geothermal energy,
western and central Nevada: Nev. Bur. M i n . , DOE Contract
E-Y-76-5-08-0671 , 78 p.
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Sink a r e a , Nevada: S t a n f o r d U n i v . , Dept. of Geophysics, unpub. report,
38 p.
Willden, R . , and Speed, R. C . , 1974, Geology and mineral d e p o s i t s of
C h u r c h i l l County Nevada: Nev. Bur. M i n . , B u l l . 83.
Zohdy, A. A . , and Bisdorf, R. J . , 1977, D e l i n e a t i n g a b a s a l t i c a q u i f e r w i t h
Schl umberger soundings near Fa1 l o n , Nevada: Geophysics, v . '42 , no. 7 , p.
1550.
13
APPEND IX
LITHOLOGIC LOGS
OF
CHEVRON RESOURCES COMPANY WELLS
Soda
Soda
Soda
Soda
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
14
44-S
1-29
11-33
63-33
NU
m.@Soda
LQCXZZON
Lake 44-5
Center Sec. 5. Tf9N.. R 28 E.
m
p LY
Sl'&bett
3
WLL
IYOL*
L4=lZZ??
Soda Lake 44-5
... - .
- . .- . . - .. . .- . .-
.
..--
3
AWZL NO&#
LocpToN
Soda Lake 44-5
a
p
Sibbett
I
. . . .. .. .- - - . -.
-. . . .
- .
.- ..
- .. -
3
I
I
DWLL UOL& Soda Luke / k 3 3
tomiox7 See. 33, T.2ON.. R. 28 E.
3
DRILL U O L ~Soda Luke
11-33
I
i
P -
P
D ~ L &
HOL# Soda Luke 63-33
L O C ~ T / ~NE94
~ ~ Y Sec. 33, T: 2 0 N , R. 28 E.
I
I
D ? Z &HOL& Sodo Lake 63-33
t m ’ % o NN E h Sec. 33, T. ZON, R. 28 E.
CARSON SINK #1
generalized from
Horton, 1978
Elev. 4060'
EL EVA T/ON
4000'-
4-4--
coarse- pebbly
arkosic
5m
h
-,v.w
-i
---
--\
SODA LAKE
44-6
4000'
gravel
pebbles
3990'
no cuttings
-
sond
fine silty
clay- zones
Deltaic deposits
150'
120'
,
-7
8
/?
/
/-
20'- 60'
*
iz L
-?
2 IO'
60'
120'
- -?-.7calcite
%- -anhydrite
-no returns
-.. -?+...sat?d'.'
-
sand K E. m,
with clay=
s i l t 8 gravel
320'
loo'
basaltic
:rystal ash
graywacke
Lake
Preclpitotes
SO'
00'
!OO'
graywacke
lithic arkoseLacustrine?
~~
8w
gravel
Pebble- sand
tuffaceous
siliceous
sulfides.
py- mar
thic sand
iy-tuffaceous
gravel
Deltaic?
bosaltic
lithic sand
Yff.
------7 Channel
- - -deposit?
-- -
8
sandstone
i
00'
160'
-
slit sand v. fL 40'
graywacke
4 Fault
-- ---
? ,--?
- -- -
20' 7
30' *
-basaftPtt7ynwke-
4-
80'-
190'
I
- D 2,000
80'
rault
20'
' D 2,000
50'
5 0'
cloy
gnite grains
tuffaceous
EXPLANATION
vitric tuff
oft to cloy
60'
-
20'
mudstone
-35'
scmd
med- fine
- --
.-
60'
25'
b
Silt 8 clay or shale- with possible lateral extent.
-?
-
7nd8 clay
nterbedded
tu/ f aceous
Basaltic-andesite dikes or flows
in biotite-chlorite matrix.
160'
- plagioclase laths
1 7 Clean sand.
30'
IOOO'
0 % carbon
5' limestone
Bunejug formation- basalt, witti olivine crystals.
.- Vegetation- -
sandstone
tuffaceous
fignite grains
cloys-
IO'
i i t r i c tuff
rlt sulfiabs
30'
event
m.- c.
r mudston
sand
240'
, Fault
/
!40'
Faults from slicken sides & gouge; dip & offset not known.
150'
vein
shale
5 0'
4 0'
10'
sandstone
ru ffaceous
aft. clays
grave/
--
dstone&da
\
170'-200
.--
mudstone
carbon
siltybanded
sand
n. - C.
rtr a lithic
u f f X I 8 vitr.
rilicif led
nudston2
clay zones
-
60'
50'
30
&
750'
SEA LE VEL
-
vitric tuff,
370'
siltstone
t u f f sed
Fault
-
.sand . .
arkose. .
lithic .
100'
160'
pebbles
tuffoceous
sond
160'
/
?80'
2 0'
graywacke
40'
graywacke
graywacke
t u f f sed.
silts tone
(mudstone?)
50'
.
80'
Fault
Fault
fay-tuffaceou
8 sand
60'
arkose
'/tn(c arkose ..
-7
-?
gray Wac&e
360'
70'
-
s-ome s i l t
8
pebbles
20'
100'
sand
sand m. f.
tuffaceous
sandstone
few pebbles
silt zones
540'
40'
Poor sorting
2000'
260'
4 0'
sand
granules
~~
arkose
12d
no' Ybturns
140
silt
sand
ark0 se
lithic
~~
silt 8 clay
graywacke
Deltaic deposits
sand
400'
silt zone
-
organic beds
coarse sand
lithic, volc.
no cuttings
400'
490'
gravel
8
sand
90'
3976'
-
sqhd If -.c.'..
3000'
3980'
qtz. B lithic
sand m.- c.
gravel
pebble
.. ,.
SODA LAKE
6a-83
sand
c. m.
L
-
SODA LAKE
11-83
F I uvlal?
-_.
Coarse-jebblj
ark0 ic
arkose
med coar.
Lithic, pebbt)
- - -- ._ _- ._
_
-_- -. _ -dstoiiez
?=.mu
=--- -:sandy-=>Z
-_
Es/rsIe Je&s
gravel
SODA LAKE
1-28
2 mi.+
Sand
coarse
8
gravel
arkosic
Detaic deposits
370'
+
- --
mudstone
8
sand
- --
gabbro
pyroxene
d
1EARTH SCIENCE
1 I 0'-I 40'
40'
LABORATORY
70'
Fault
Fault
----
&L
UNIVERSITY of UTAH
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
aft.
Fault
50'
rkose, muds
3 5'
50'
:ault
=ault
00'
:auk
E
:---20
andesite flow-
BRUCE SIBBETT, 1979
100'
D 4,300
bands
----------------------
1
ff 6 sand
I
PLATE I
85'
230'
soil-
SODA LAKE WELL LOG CORRELATION
CHURCHILL CO., NEVADA
flows
rsdt f/ow
T D 5,069ft.
Ll
T D 8,502ft.