SDAG monthly meeting
May 20 |
Location:
Casa Guadalajara
4105 Taylor St.
San Diego, CA 92110
619-29-55111
Directions:
FROM INTERSTATE 5: Take the OLD TOWN AVENUE exit. Proceed east on Old Town Avenue.
Turn left on to San Diego Avenue and then left at the fork onto Congress Street.
The restaurant is located approximately three blocks to the north on the left (west) side of the street.
FROM INTERSTATE 15: Take CA 163 south to Mission valley and then take Interstate 8 west.
Take the Taylor Street/Hotel Circle exit and head west on Taylor Street. Turn left (south) onto Congress Street.
The restaurant is located approximately three blocks to the south on the right (west) side of the street.
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6:00pm -
Social hour
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SDAG Monthly Meeting
6:00pm - Social Hour
7:00pm - Dinner
8:00pm - Program
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7:00pm
Dinner
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Menu: Mexican Combo Buffet
if pre-registered by the deadline, $5 extra if you did not make a reservation.
Click the SDAG member checkbox on the reservation form if you are a member.
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Cost: $ 55.00 Member; Non-Member $ 65.00; Student $ 25.00
Reservations:
Make/Pay your reservation online by clicking the button below
by 6:00pm Friday, May 15
RESERVATIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER by 6pm Friday, May 15
(Please note beginning January 2024 all meeting reservations will require on-line pre-payment due to venue costs,
venue contracts, and loss of money due to no shows.)
IF YOU DO NOT PRE-PAY YOUR FOOD RESERVATION, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU A MEAL.
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8:00pm - Program
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"X-ray diffraction and seismic reflection data constraints on geothermal mineral brine reservoir modeling,
Salton Sea Geothermal Field, Imperial Valley, California."
Speakers: Danny Sims, Ph.D., CTR and Philip Neuhoff, Ph.D.
The Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF) hosts eleven geothermal power plants built between 1987 and 2012 that produce 437
MW of electricity. It is estimated that the on-shore and off-shore field can support 3 GW of installed capacity and lithium
extraction from geothermal brine is planned. Expansion of geothermal development and introduction of metal extraction will
impact the reservoir. Brine that flows through surface facilities will be cooled and depleted of lithium and injected back into
the deep reservoir. If cooled and depleted brine migrates back to production wells the enthalpy and metal concentration of
produced brine will decline. Reservoir modelling is the best available technology to predict these potential declines.
A reservoir model developed by the University of Aukland (Aukland) and Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) was
used to predict significant decline in lithium concentration at production wells within the developed portion of the field within
15 years. The reservoir model developed by CTR and Baker Hughes Company differs substantially, and it was used to predict
nominal metal and enthalpy decline of produced brine for the planned CTR development area over 30 years. The differences in
predicted decline rates are mostly attributed to the modelled magnitude and distribution of fracture and fault permeability
within the SSGF.
This presentation compares the permeability models of both groups and presents published and original data, including XRD,
seismic reflection, and wellbore image logs, that inform the CTR/Baker Hughes model. The maximum stress is interpreted
from fault geometry and wellbore data to be vertical. Fracture orientation and spacing in the rock mass is interpreted from
image logs and 3D seismic reflection data. Fault orientation, density, thickness and permeability estimates are interpreted
from seismic reflection, wellbore image data and well tests. XRD data informs modelled permeability of altered sediments
from the surface to the onset of an amphibolite grade metamorphic mineral assemblage at 3 km. The presentation content
expands upon a prior presentation at SDSU that explained fundamentals of our structure data collection and interpretation
methods (available to view at https://earth.sdsu.edu/fall-2025-seminar-schedule/).
Examples of CTR/Baker Hughes model runs using permeability inputs that are similar with the Aukland and LBNL model, and
those inputs consistent with our observations and interpretations, are presented to demonstrate the direct influence of
permeability on modelled metal depletion.
Danny earned a B.S. degree in Geology from the University of Cincinnati, and from the
University of Arizona, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Economic and Structural Geology and a J.D.
degree. Since 1987, he has mapped, interpreted and modelled structure throughout the
Americas and New Guinea for geothermal and mineral exploration, geotechnical design of
open pit and underground mines, and tectonics.
Phil earned a B.S. degree in Geology from The University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in Geological
and Environmental Science from Stanford University. Formerly on the faculty of the
University of Florida, he currently applies his mineralogical and geochemical expertise to
exploration and development of geothermal and mineral resources.
In 2009, Dr. Denis Norton enlisted Phil and Danny to help with development of the Hudson
Ranch geothermal power plant in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF). The R&D team
also included Dr. Satish Pullammanappallil who acquired the first SSGF 3D seismic
reflection volume and many others from industry and academia contributing within their
respective areas of expertise.
Drs. Norton, Neuhoff and Sims began working on the CTR Hell's Kitchen Project in 2018. In
2024, CTR brought on Baker Hughes to develop a dynamic reservoir model. Baker Hughes'
predicted metal depletion rates at production wells over time differ substantially from those
published by the University of Aukland and LBNL. In 2025, CTR encouraged our team and
Baker Hughes to publish data and conclusions to explain the significant differences.
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Upcoming SDAG meetings - 2026
May 20 - Danny Sims, PHD, Controlled Thermal Resources: "X-ray diffraction and seismic reflection data constraints
on geothermal mineral brine reservoir modelling, Salton Sea Geothermal Field, Imperial Valley, California."
June 10 - Joint meeting with South Coast Geological Society
July 15 - Rick Halsey of the CA Chaparral Institute: Title TBA
August 19 - Monte Marshal: "Exploring the depths of the Salton Trough - a great example of a transtensional rift valley."
September 16 - No Meeting: Annual Field Trip
October 21 - Wes Danskin, USGS retired speaking on "Geology and Water Resources of the San Diego - Tijuana Area"
Novmber 18 - Joint meeting with AEG Inland Empire Section
December 16 - Annual Holiday Meeting at San Diego History Museum with Tom Deméré as speaker
Recordings of past meetings
Note: If the video or sound does not play, try using another web browser. Firefox and Chrome may work on some of the videos. MS Edge and Safari are most likely to work.
4/15/26 Jennifer Morton speaking on "Ground-truth Studies of the La Nacion Fault Zone, San Diego, California."
4/15/26 Cici Jobe speaking on "From Park to Garden: Collaborative Soil Testing to Support Food Security in Urban San Diego."
4/15/26 Hannah Lissner speaking on "Assessing the Metals Variability, Clay Mineralogy, and Morphology of San Salvador Island Paleosoils."
3/18/26 Josh Goodwin speaking on "Understanding Geology Licensure in California: PG, CEG, CHg, and PGp; How to apply, serve as a reference, and avoid common violations."
2/18/26 Norrie Robbins Speaking on "From Precambrian Iron Formation to Terraforming Mars - the JIMES Expedition to Santoria"
1/21/26 Ali Fattah on "Updates to the San Diego Municipal Code requirements for Geotechnical Reports - Outreach"
12/17/25 Traditional holiday meeting at the San Diego Natural History Museum - Tom Deméré on "150 years of Paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum"
11/19/25 Joint Meeting with AEG Inland Empire Section - Eldon Gath on "San Joaquin Hills, Santa Ana Mountains, Puente Hills, and the Whittier fault: The final(?) grand theory of Orange County's tectonic geomorphic evolution"
10/15/2025 Todd Wirths on "Eocene Paleontology at Tourmaline Surfing Park, La Jolla"
8/20/2025 Dr. Mario Caputo on "Newly Discovered Tetrapod Bones, Insect Trace Fossils, & Eolian Adhesion Structures- Upper Pennsylvanian Wescogame Formation, Supai Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona"
7/16/2025 Rachel Maxwell on a survey of the Mojave-Sonoran Desert Springs and their sources. "Is this spring connected to that Aquifer?"
6/18/2025 Development of the western Hollywood Basin and Cheviot Hills, and newly identified blind thrust in Santa Monica Bay - Dr. Miles Kenney
5/14/2025 Landslide Stabilization - Dr. Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero (Audio is very quiet first few minutes.)
4/16/2025 Constraining Natural and Anthropogenic Controls on Base of Freshwater and Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW) In Central San Joaquin Valley - Emily Imperato
4/16/2025 Examination of Middle Cambrian hyoliths from the Manuels River Formation of Avalonian southeastern Newfoundland - Nicolas Oliver
2/19/2025 A New Seismotectonic Framework for Active Faults in Metropolitan San Diego - Karl Mueller
8/21/2024 Upper Cretaceous through lower Eocene strata in San Diego: Messages for the end-Cretaceous impact, extinctions, and paleoclimates - Dr. Pat Abbott
5/15/2024 Exploring Iceland's Geological Wonders: From a Regional Perspective to a Hiking Expedition - Don Barrie & William Buckley
3/19/2024 Mighty Bad Land: A Perilous Expedition to Antarctica Reveals Clues to an Eighth Continent - Bruce Luyendyk
Meetings are usually scheduled for the 3rd Wednesday evening of the month.
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