The GEMex project is a cooperation in Geothermal energy research Europe-Mexico for development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (Acoculco) and Superhot Geothermal Systems (Los Humeros). Los Humeros and Acoculco fields are located at the eastern edge of the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB), a region favourable for geothermal energy exploitation. In the framework of the European H2020 and Mexican CONACyT-SENER project GEMex, several geophysical, geological, and geochemical surveys have been carried out to better understand the structure and behavior of these geothermal reservoirs. In a broader context this acquired knowlegde, will become key for understanding regional geothermal resources for further development.
Time frame
- since 01.10.2016 - 30.05.2020
Funding
- The GEMex project is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme for Research and Innovation under grant agreement No 727550 and the Mexican Energy Sustainability Fund CONACYT-SENER, project 2015-04-68074.
Principal Investigators
- EU Scientific Coordinator: Dr. David Bruhn
- Sesimic team: Philippe Jousset (GFZ)
- Emmanuel Gaucher (KIT), Marco Calò (UNAM), Arie Verdel (TNO), Joana Martins (TNO), Erik Saenger (HBO), Katrin Löer (HBO), Angel Figueroa (UMSNH), Flavio Poletto (OGS), Gualtierro Bohm (OGS), Biancamarina Farina (OGS), Erika Barison (OGS), Gylfi Páll Hersir (ISOR)
Personnel
- Tania Toledo (GFZ)
- Claudia Finger (HBO)
- Ivan Granados (UNAM)
- Joel Angulo (UNAM)
Project Website
Cooperations
- KIT (DE), UNAM (MX), TNO (NL), HBO (DE), UMSNH (MX), OGS (IT), ISOR (IS)
Methods & Equipment
- Temporary seismic network
- Local earthquakes
- Local earthquake tomography
- Ambient noise studies
- Seismic modelling
Publications/Results
- Toledo, T., Gaucher, E., Jousset, P., Jentsch, A., Haberland, C., Maurer, H., Krawczyk, C., Calò, M., Figueroa, A. (2020): Local Earthquake Tomography at Los Humeros Geothermal Field (Mexico). - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 125, 12, e2020JB020390.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB020390 - C Finger, E H Saenger (2020), Sensitivity maps for time-reverse imaging: an accuracy study for the Los Humeros Geothermal Field (Mexico), Geophysical Journal International, 222 (1): 231–246, doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaa160
- Katrin Löer, Tania Toledo, Gianluca Norini, Xin Zhang, Andrew Curtis, Erik Hans Saenger (2020); Imaging the Deep Structures of Los Humeros Geothermal Field, Mexico, Using Three‐Component Seismic Noise Beamforming. Seismological Research Letters ; 91 (6): 3269–3277. doi: doi.org/10.1785/0220200022
- Toledo Zambrano, T. A., Jousset, P., Maurer, H., Krawczyk, C. (2020): Optimized Experimental Network Design for Earthquake Location Problems: applications to geothermal and volcanic field seismic networks. - Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 391, 106433.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2018.08.011 - Verdel, A., Boullenger, B., Martins, J. E., Obermann, A., Toledo T., Jousset, P. (2019): Ambient noise seismic reflection interferometry at the Los Humeros geothermal field, Mexico - Proceedings, European Geothermal Congress (The Hague, The Netherlands 2019).
- Toledo Zambrano, T. A., Gaucher, E., Metz, M., Calò, M., Figueroa, A., Angulo, J., Jousset, P., Kieling, K., Saenger, E. (2019): Dataset of the 6G seismic network at Los Humeros, 2017-2018.
https://doi.org/10.14470/1T7562235078
Acknowledgment
We thank the Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam (GIPP) for facilitating the seismic equipment used in this project. We also thank the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) for granting access for the seismic network deployment.
