Geothermal Investigations in the Upper Vindhyan Sedimentary Rocks of Shivpuri Area, Central India

Abstract

Abstract Heat flow has been determined by combining temperature measurements in 7 boreholes with thermal conductivity measurements in the Upper Vindhyan sedimentary rocks of Shivpuri area, central India. The boreholes are distributed at 5 sites within an area of 15 × 10 km2; their depths range from 174 to 268 m. Geothermal gradients estimated from borehole temperature profiles vary from 8.0-12.7 mK m−1 in the sandstone-rich formations to 25.5-27.5 mK m-1 in the shale-rich formations, consistent with the contrast in thermal conductivities of the two rock types. Heat flow in the area ranges between 45 and 61 mW m−2, with a mean of 52±6 mW m−2. The heat flow values are similar to the >50 mW m−2 heat flow observed in other parts of the northern Indian shield. The heat flow determinations represent the steady-state heat flow because, the thermal transients associated with the initial rifting, convergence and sedimentation in the basin as well as the more recent Deccan volcanism that affected the region to the south of the basin would have decayed, and therefore, the heat flow is in equilibrium with the radiogenic heat production of the crust and the heat flow from the mantle. The present study reports the heat flow measurements from the western part of the Vindhyan basin and provides heat flow information for the Bundhelkhand craton for the first time. Radioelement (Th, U and K) abundances have been measured both in the sedimentary rocks exposed in the area as well as in the underlying basement granite-gneiss of Bundelkhand massif exposed in the adjacent area. Radioactive heat production, estimated from those abundances, indicate mean values of 0.3 µW m−3 for sandstone with inter-bands of shale and siltstone, 0.25 µW m−3 for sandstone with inter-bands siltstone, 0.6 µW m−3 for quartzose sandstone, and 2.7 µW m−3 for the basement granitoids. With a total sedimentary thickness not exceeding a few hundred metres in the area, the heat production of the sedimentary cover would be insignificant. The radioactive heat contribution from the basement granitoids in the upper crust is expected to be large, and together with the heat flow component from the mantle, would control the crustal thermal structure in the region.