Comparison of Geothermal Wells in Continental and Oceanic Plate Boundaries: A Case Study of Menengai Well MW-02 and Hellisheidi Well HE-27

摘要

Plate boundaries are part of the earth's tectonic system. Divergent plate boundaries are zones where lithospheric plates move apart as a result of tensional forces causing melting as a result of pressure decrease. Typically, they are characterized by tensional stresses that naturally produce long rift zones, normal faults, and basaltic volcanism. A comparison is made of cuttings from geothermal wells located within a continental divergent margin in Kenya and samples from an oceanic divergent margin Iceland. The stratigraphy of Menengai well MW-02 is mainly composed of trachytic rocks whilst samples from Hellisheidi HE-27 based on binocular observations aided by petrographic thin sections and XRD analysis are primarily basaltic. The comparison of cuttings from Menengai and Hellisheidi show dissimilarity in geology mainly as a result of the type of divergent boundary.