Dynamics of hydrothermal seeps from the Salton Sea geothermal system (California, USA) constrained by temperature monitoring and time series analysis

Abstract

Water‐, mud‐, gas‐, and petroleum‐bearing seeps are part of the Salton Sea geothermal system (SSGS) in southern California. Carbon dioxide is the main component behind the seeps in the Davis‐Schrimpf seep field (∼20,000 m2). In order to understand the mechanisms driving the system, we have investigated the seep dynamics of the field by monitoring the temperature of two pools and two gryphons for 2180 h (90.8 days) in the period from December 2006 to March 2007, with a total of 32,700 measurements per station. The time series have been analyzed by statistical methods using cross correlation, autocorrelation and spectral analysis, and autoregressive modeling. The water‐rich pools never exceed 34.0°C and are characterized by low‐amplitude temperature variations controlled by the diurnal cycles in air temperature. The long‐term validity of these results is evident from a second period of temperature monitoring of one of the pools from December 2007 to April 2008 (120 days). In contrast to the pools, the mud‐rich gryphons have a strikingly different behavior. The gryphons are hotter (maximum 69.7°C) and have large amplitude variations (standard deviation of 6.4) that overprint any signal from external diurnal forcing. Autoregressive modeling shows the presence of distinct hot and cold pulses in the gryphon temperature time series, with amplitudes up to 3°C. These pulses likely reflect a combination of hydrothermal flux variations from the SSGS and the local temporal changes in bubbling activity within the gryphons.