Preliminary Assessment of the Potential for Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide in Geological Settings in Nevada

from the 

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

The State Geological Survey

A Research and Public Service Unit

of the University of Nevada, Reno

Mineral, Energy, (Water) Resources

Economic Development

Environmental Issues

Natural Hazards

Scope of Work and Methodology The NBMG will evaluate the potential for sequestration of carbon dioxide in geological settings in Nevada using geographic information systems (GIS) to combine the following sets of data:

surface outcropping of bedrock versus alluvium (with the initial assumption that, because of repeated tectonic deformation during the last several hundred million years, including substantial crustal extension during the last 40 million years, areas of bedrock are unlikely to offer significant potential sites for sequestration);

Basins and ranges

Quaternary normal and strike-slip faults

interpreted geophysical data (largely gravity) suggesting at least 1,000 meters of Quaternary and Tertiary cover over bedrock;

presence of favorable geological formations (e.g., permeable sands and gravels into which CO2 could be injected or thick halite beds that could be solution mined to create caverns for storage; thickness and continuity of aquitards to prevent escape of CO2);

nearness to extractable geological resources (e.g., mineral, petroleum, natural gas, geothermal, and water resources);

‘49ers Comstock

Goldfield, Cripple Creek, porphyries, etc.

Carlin & other Nevada deposits

depth to water table and depth to non-potable water deeper than 800 meters, if known;

nearness to active faults;

Quaternary fault at the Bald Mountain mine, southern Ruby Mountains

Paleozoic bedrock Quaternary

alluvium

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis

nearness to large generators of CO2 (power plants);

nearness to urban areas and corridors for urban growth;

nearness to existing transportation routes;

lands that are potentially off limits (e.g., military reservations, National Parks, National Recreation Areas);

other data as appropriate.

Deliverables A report on the preliminary assessment, including description of the methodology, results, and recommendations, will be submitted to the California Energy Commission and will be released as an NBMG open-file report. The GIS coverages and analysis will be supplied electronically on CD or DVD.

Timeframe The project will be completed within 12 months of establishment of a project account at the University of Nevada, Reno. It typically takes between two and six weeks to establish an account after the funding agency authorizes expenditures.