Curie point depth and heat flow deduced from spectral analysis of magnetic data over Adamawa volcanic region (Northern Cameroon): geothermal implications

Abstract

This study presents an estimation of Curie point depth (CPD), heat flow and geothermal gradient from spectral analysis over the Adamawa volcanic region (northern Cameroon). The spectral analysis method is applied to the reduced-to-equator (RTE) magnetic anomaly data of the region. Grid Earth Magnetic Anomaly (EMAG2) data were divided into 17 zones. RTE magnetic anomaly data were low-pass filtered to remove the effects of topography. Then, the data were transformed into the Fourier domain in order to determine the spectrum of the magnetic anomaly data for the study region. Then, the depth values are used to estimate the CPD, the geothermal gradient (GG) and the heat flow in the Adamawa region of Cameroon (Central Africa). The acquired results indicate that the CPD varies between 15.97 and 41.16 km with an average of 27.52 km. GG varies between 14.09 and 36.31 °C km−1 with an average of 22.27 °C km−1 and the resulting heat flow varies between 35.23 and 90.78 mW m−2 with an average of 55.68 mW m−2. The variation in heat flow and GG shows an abnormal geothermal condition of the area. It is found that there is a geothermal potential precisely at Woulnde in the Adamawa region. The obtained results can serve as a guide for government and private partners to explore this energy source.