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Geology topics

Ulrich Schimschal

Publications and source records attributed to Ulrich Schimschal.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Integrated exploration for low-temperature geothermal resources in the Honey Lake Basin, California

An integrated exploration study is presented to locate low-temperature geothermal reservoirs in the Honey Lake area of northern California. Regional studies to locate the geothermal resources included gravity, infra-red, water-temperature, and water-quality analyses. Five anomalies were mapped from resistivity surveys. Additional study of three anomalies by temperature-gradient and seismic methods was undertaken to define structure and potential of the geothermal resource. The gravity data show a graben structure in the area. Seismic reflection data indicate faults associated with surface-resistivity and temperature-gradient data. The data support the interpretation that the shallow reservoirs are replenished along the fault zones by deeply circulating heated meteoric waters.

California↗

Geophysical borehole logging in the unsaturated zone, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Borehole geophysical logging for site characterization in the volcanic rocks at the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, requires data collection under rather unusual conditions. Logging tools must operate in rugose, dry holes above the water table in the unsaturated zone. Not all logging tools will operate in this environment, therefore; careful consideration must be given to selection and calibration. A sample suite of logs is presented that demonstrates correlation of geological formations from borehole to borehole, the definition of zones of altered mineralogy, and the quantitative estimates of rock properties. We show the results of an exploratory calculation of porosity and water saturation based upon density and epithermal neutron logs. Comparison of the results with a few core samples is encouraging, particularly because the logs can provide continuous data in boreholes where core samples are not available.

Conference Paper↗

Mathematical model of gamma-ray spectrometry borehole logging for quantitative analysis

A technique for analyzing gamma-ray spectral-logging data has been developed, in which a digital computer is used to calculate the effects of gamma-ray attentuation in a borehole environment. The computer model allows for the calculation of the effects of lithology, porosity, density, and the thickness of a horizontal layer of uniformly distributed radioactive material surrounding a centralized probe in a cylindrical borehole. The computer program also contains parameters for the calculation of the effects of well casing, drilling fluid, probe housing, and losses through the sodium-iodide crystal. Errors associated with the commonly used mathematical assumption of a point detector are eliminated in this model. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Scintillation detectors in gamma spectral logging; geometry, absorption and calibration

The theory for the evaluation of the effects of geometry in gamma ray absorption is developed for cylindrical scintillation detectors as applicable to borehole gamma spectrometry. The results of a laboratory experiment are shown for comparison. A calibration procedure to determine detector efficiency is given for application to borehole probes. It is shown that the response of a crystal can be separated in terms of geometric effects and instrumentation effects. It is also shown that approximating crystal detectors with point detectors in mathematical theory is grossly oversimplified. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗