Date of Award

9-20-2010

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Applied Science

First Advisor

Haydar Al-Shukri

Abstract

Geophysical investigative techniques including Magnetic, Electric, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and Geochemistry become increasingly essential to study near surface setting as well as deep earth structure. A model was developed of the hot water system in southwest Arkansas using Geochemistry, Magnetic, and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data. The model was constructed using the data collected at the Caddo Gap and Little Missouri Hot Springs in Southeast Arkansas, USA. Understanding the mechanism of the transition from slow flow in porous media to fast flow in a fracture is critical in understanding the hot water flow of the hot spring. The geochemistry data of the spring was used to develop a model to simulate the water flow due to a fracture in the substrata. The model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics to solve the Darcy, Brinkman, and Navier-Stokes Equations. Cementing materials in granular porous media may be growing or dissolving, altering the effective porosity and influencing the water chemistry. The water chemistry was used to evaluate dissolution and precipitation along the flow path and so that the long-term impact upon porosity and permeability was predicted. The water solubility of many compounds increases with temperature. The ambient temperature of a formation can be estimated from the amount of dissolved material in the water. A geochemical analysis was conducted on the springs to determine the origin and source of the water. The geochemical analysis helped to answer questions about any potential environmental hazards associated with the springs. The thermal springs located in southwest Arkansas have not been studied in detail and have many questions that needed to be answered. The purpose of this research was to provide some tentative answers to questions regarding to the springs based on the models and the associated computations. The geothermal resource of the springs needs to be protected from waste and mismanagement, due to the lack of knowledge of its occurrence, characteristics, and properties.

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