string(19) "[Energy-Geothermal]"

Garibaldi Geothermal Volcanic Belt Assessment Project

Lead Researcher(s):  S. Grasby

Project ID:  2018-004

Key Research Organization(s):  Geological Survey of Canada

Project Location:  Southwest BC

Strategic Focus Area:  Energy-Geothermal

Summary



Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that can help Canada transition to a net-zero emissions economy. This project provides foundational research required for this transition by assessing the geothermal energy generation potential within the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt in BC’s Southwest Region. The project results can inform evidence-based decisions by industry, governments, Indigenous groups and communities.

The highly collaborative, multidisciplinary project involving the Geological Survey of Canada and seven universities collected geological, geochemical, geophysical, paleomagnetic and physical rock property data of the Mount Meager Complex (Phase 1) and Mount Cayley area (Phase 2). Phase 1 research was instrumental in attracting investment to Meager Creek Development Corporation’s proposed Meager Creek green hydrogen project.

The research helps develop a new model of the heat and reservoir plumbing of the volcanoes to assess the geothermal resource potential of Canada’s most active volcanic region. The substantial data gathered at Mount Meager has led to development of new techniques that reduce risk and increase efficiency of geothermal exploration. These techniques can now be applied at Mount Cailey, as well as at other locations.

The research provides more detailed insights into the ages, structures and at-depth hydrothermal features of the volcanic complexes, with assessments of potential flow paths for geothermal fluids.

Project Update

August 1, 2024

Final reports and data for the project are now complete and published. A full list of deliverables and downloads is provided below. A further summary and analysis paper is expected to be published in 2025.

The Need

For geothermal energy resources to play a significant role in Canada’s net-zero emissions economy, independent foundational geoscience information about the depth, temperature and permeability of potential hot aquifers, and their suitability to generate geothermal heat and power, is necessary.

Project Goals

This Energy project fits under Geoscience BC’s Strategic Objective of Enabling Clean Energy and our goal to:

  • Continue geothermal resource mapping and research focusing on economically viable projects and sites with high geothermal energy potential.

 

Specifically, the project’s goals were:

  • Phase 1: reduce exploration risk by increasing knowledge of the controls on rock permeability in the geothermal reservoir underneath Mount Meager through the application of a range of geoscience tools. These include field mapping, remote sensing, magnetotelluric and gravity surveying and passive seismic geophysics. Results support structural geology, hydrogeology, volcanology and geochemistry studies of the area.

 

  • Phase 2: apply the science and methodologies developed in Phase 1 to the Mount Cayley area. Research results and data from Phase 2 include a summary of geothermal resource estimates within the southern Mount Meager region.

Project Benefits

Geothermal energy generation can have a low environmental footprint and can provide stable baseload-power supply without the need for energy storage. The foundational geoscience information generated by this project will help geothermal energy producers, communities, governments and Indigenous groups to have a better understanding of the potential geothermal resource in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. New tools and techniques can also be applied elsewhere to reduce risk and increase efficiency of exploration for geothermal potential.

Survey Area

The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt is a chain of young (less than 11,000 years old) volcanoes in BC’s Southwest Region. It extends north and northwest from Squamish for approximately 200 kilometres. The region is also known to have abundant thermal springs.

Mount Meager is an ice-clad volcano situated 160 kilometres north of Vancouver in the centre of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. Mount Cayley is approximately 25 kilometres west of Whistler.

The study area lies primarily in the territories of the Líl̓wat and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) First Nations. Geoscience BC encourages anyone planning exploration work to  first contact Indigenous groups in the area. The Province of British Columbia’s Consultative Areas Database can help with this (https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/cadb/). The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) also produces an Indigenous Engagement Guidebook.

What was Done?

Fieldwork was conducted during phases 1 and 2 on and around the edifices of Mount Meager and Mount Cayley, plus surrounding volcanic peaks and lava flows. This included detailed bedrock mapping to record rock-property observations and collect structural geology measurements. Gravity measurements were taken on both Mount Meager and Mount Cayley along with magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) data. Ground temperature monitoring was also conducted, particularly in relation to snow cover relationships.

Observations and data collected were used to update understanding of geological structural controls, sub-surface permeabilities and flow rates, eruptive histories and hydrothermal alteration characteristics.

The research techniques developed at Mount Meager in Phase 1 were applied to Mount Cayley in Phase 2.

Given the volume and findings of pre-existing and new data on Mount Meager, an initial geothermal resource assessment was conducted for this site.

Deliverables


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