Heat flow model from hydrocarbon well data, as a geothermal prospecting source in Tierra del Fuego Antartic and South Atlantic Islands province, Argentina

Abstract

The distribution of terrestrial heat flow presented in this paper focuses on three study areas located in the central and northern regions of Tierra del Fuego. This analysis is based on data from oil wells in various reservoirs within the Austral Basin, where the Lower Inoceramus and Margas Verdes formations serve as the primary source rocks, while the Springhill Formation acts as the reservoir rock. Subsurface temperatures vary significantly with depth: from 15° to 70°C at 1,000 meters, 35° to 120°C at 2,000 meters, and 25° to 150°C at 3,000 meters. Notably, these temperatures increase from the southern regions towards the north. The average geothermal gradient ranges from 25° to 55°C per kilometer. The overall average thermal flux in the area fluctuates between 15 and 55 mW/m², with values increasing from south to north. Specifically, the Río Cullen area has thermal flux values ranging from 30 to 60 mW/m², with a general average of 35 mW/m². The area between the San Martín river and the Herminita river displays values from 20 to 40 mW/m², achieving an average of 33 mW/m². In contrast, the Laguna Cabo Peñas sector shows thermal flux values between 15 and 45 mW/m², with a general average of 35 mW/m². The heat flux values provided in this study offer greater detail and precision, highlighting the presence of a heat anomaly tied to the tectonic complexity of the basin and its glaciation history. The findings will be submitted to the Spatial Data Infrastructure of Tierra del Fuego and will serve as a foundation for research projects aimed at developing new energy sources.