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Denver-Julesberg Basin |
Authors Anna Crowell and Will Gosnold gathered and analyzed free-access GIS data for trends that could help geoscientists assess whether a sedimentary basin could be economically utilized for geothermal power production. In their article, they identify several counties in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, and North Dakota where geothermal energy could be used for different energy production scenarios.
In particular, they find that the Denver-Julesberg Basin (which spans Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado, and has a surface area of approx. 155,000 square kilometers) has the highest capacity for large-scale, economically feasible geothermal power production. They write that, “assuming an adequate, sustainable water supply,” high-population areas west of Denver, near the depocenter of the basin and the Golden fault along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, are of greatest interest because costly infrastructure is already in place.
Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Geological Society of America.