EXPLORING GEOTHERMAL HEAT FLOW PATTERNS IN THE UPPER SOKOTO BASIN, NIGERIA THROUGH AEROMAGNETIC DATA ANALYSIS
Abstract:
This study conducted Geothermal Heat Flow Analysis in the Upper Sokoto Basin, Nigeria, leveraging Aeromagnetic Data to ascertain the geothermal heat flow patterns in the region. The study area spans from latitude 12.50°N to 13.50°N and longitude 4.00°E to 6.00°E. A Polynomial fitting method was employed to perform regional-residual separation on the digitized data. Subsequently, the observed magnetic residual anomalies map underwent Fourier transformation, following the division of the area into 24 overlapping sections for spectral analysis and interpretation. The spectral plot unveiled the presence of two distinct magnetic source layers.
The depth of the basement (D2) exhibited a range between 0.505 km and 1.77 km, with an average value of 1.240 km. Meanwhile, the centroid depth (D3) displayed variations from 3.495 km to 8.110 km, with an average depth of 4.763 km. Consequently, D3 values were utilized to construct an approximate contour map of the basement surface within the basin. The curie-point depth, as estimated through spectral analysis, ranged from 5.720 km to 14.840 km, with an average depth of 8.285 km. A contour map of the curie-point depth, accompanied by a corresponding 3-D model, was generated.
The calculated geothermal gradient and heat flow values across the study area varied from 20.216 to 52.447 oC/km and 36.388 to 94.405 mW/m2, respectively. Notably, a noteworthy trend emerged, indicating that the region with the highest heat flow value (94.405 mW/m2) in the northeastern sector corresponded to the area exhibiting the highest geothermal gradient, as well as a shallow curie-point depth. This specific area holds significant potential as a geothermal heat source zone.
EXPLORING GEOTHERMAL HEAT FLOW PATTERNS IN THE UPPER SOKOTO BASIN, NIGERIA THROUGH AEROMAGNETIC DATA ANALYSIS. GET MORE, ACTUARIAL SCIENCE PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS