Deformation due to geothermal exploitation at Reykjanes, Iceland

Abstract

Ground deformation in utilized geothermal areas is often attributed either to pressure decrease or temperature decrease in the geothermal reservoir. A new geothermal power plant at Reykjanes began operation in May 2006 and local deformation caused by geothermal utilization was observed shortly thereafter. We use images acquired by the Envisat and TerraSAR-X (TSX) satellites, between 2003 and 2016, as well as available GNSS data, to derive constraints on the cumulative ground displacement at the Reykjanes geothermal area, Iceland, and compare these results to production data acquired from observation wells in this region. We employ interferometric analysis of synthetic aperture satellite radar images (InSAR), using a combined persistent scatterer and small baseline approach, on both ascending and descending Envisat and TSX satellite tracks covering the 2003–2016 period. Time series of range change along line-of-sight (LOS) from the ground to the satellite show the characteristics of on-going ground deflation in the vicinity of the Reykjanes power plant. In the 2005–2008 period, the main area of deformation was 4 km long by 2.5 km wide, aligned along the Reykjanes fissure swarm, but in the period 2009–2016 it is more circular in shape and ~2 km wide. LOS displacement rates have remained relatively steady in time, although slightly faster in the 2005–2008 period than the 2009–2016 period. The average LOS velocities from ascending and descending tracks are decomposed into estimates of near-vertical and near-east displacements. The inferred maximum subsidence since the start of production is ~260 mm. Horizontal displacements show contraction towards the center of deflation of up to ~140 mm. Geodetic modeling is undertaken using sources of simple geometry within an elastic halfspace to determine the optimal sources for the observed contraction throughout 2005–2016. For the earlier period modeled utilizing ENVISAT interferograms (16 June 2005–16 August 2008) the optimal source is a Yang model with a strike of 58° and a source depth of 2.2 km. The calculated volume change associated with the observed contraction is −2.3 × 106 m3. For the latter period, utilizing TSX interferograms (24 September 2009–17 August 2016), the preferred source is a Mogi-type model at a depth of 1.2 km and the modeled volume change is −1 × 106 m3.