GNGTS 2013 - Atti del 32° Convegno Nazionale

Geothermal resources in THE carbonate aquifers OF the Friuli VENEZIA GIULIA coastal area: preliminary CONCEPTUAL MODEL R. Petrini 1 , F.F. Slejko 2 , B. Della Vedova 3 , U. Aviani 2 , F. Iadarola 4 , F. Italiano 5 , M. Ponton 2 , L. Zini 2 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Italy 2 Dipartimento di Matematica e Geoscienze, Università di Trieste, Italy 3 Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Architettura, Università di Trieste, Italy 4 Ordine Regionale dei Geologi del Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trieste, Italy 5 INGV-Sezione Palermo, Italy Introduction. The high-temperature geothermal systems exploited for the generation of electric energy, are generally associated to areas of active volcanism or recent magmatism. In these systems heat is transferred from the deep source to the shallow reservoirs by magmatic intrusions and circulating fluids. However, low enthalpy geothermal resources may be hosted in buried karsted or fractured carbonates of the foreland areas and adjacent sedimentary basins, mainly when they are structurally controlled. The geothermal fluids contained in these reservoirs are receiving much attention in recent years, for residential and commercial heating, balneology and recreational purposes and likely represent the most important type of shallow geothermal resources outside volcanic areas (Goldscheider et al. , 2010). A systematic assessment, evaluation and mapping of these resources, at regional scale, would hence provide a useful basis for their correct management and sustainable use to avoid overexploitation. Fig. 1 – Geological sketch map showing the main lithologies and lineaments. The sites of the Monfalcone station, Grado-1 and Lignano deep well are indicated. 269 GNGTS 2013 S essione 1.3