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Project Concept: Kootenay Lake Geothermal - Phase 4

Strategic Focus Area:  Concept

Summary



Anticipated Project Partners 

  • South Kootenay Lake Community Services Society 
  • Selkirk College 
  • University of Calgary 

How To Contribute 

This is a Project Concept being developed by Geoscience BC with input from our project partners, members and advisory committees. We are seeking project sponsors to contribute funding or other support for on-the-ground research. Organizations that contribute funding to Geoscience BC research projects can secure significant tangible benefits, such as early access to valuable data. In addition, industry contributions help to attract further support and investment from others. 

Supporting research projects and sponsoring Geoscience BC initiatives demonstrates that your organization understands the value of independent public geoscience, increases your profile and demonstrates leadership. 

If you are interested in contributing, please emailinfo@geosciencebc.com. Your information will be sent to the most appropriate member of our team.  

The Need

As Canada transitions to zero and low-emissions energy resources, there is a need to better understand the potential for BC’s geothermal regions to be developed as assets that can provide sources of heat or electricity generation.  

This project is required to continue the research undertaken in previous phases, which identified the prospect of a low temperature, shallow circulation geothermal system in the Crawford Creek area. 

Project Goals

This Energy Project Concept fits under our Strategic Objective of Enabling Cleaner Energy. It also works towards the Goal to increase collaboration with Indigenous groups and undertake relevant Geoscience BC research that fosters their socioeconomic development, while also supporting our objectives. 

Specifically, this Project Concept aims to: 

  • Expand geological mapping of the host Hamill Quartzite sub-units adjacent to the Orebin Creek Fault. 
  • Expand mapping of joints and joint density. 
  • Expand geochemical survey to further quantify cation/ion relationships and investigate the stable isotopes often associated with deeper thermal sources (i.e. helium). 
  • Conduct rock sampling for geochronology and thermal history modelling to illustrate recent fault movement. 
  • Recover temperature data loggers (from previous phase) with soil sampling to estimate heat flow and characterize the Crawford Creek near surface temperature anomaly. 
  • Expand ERT survey inverting 2023 & 2024 data in 3D using Para view for data visualisation. 
  • Expand magnetometer survey to the NNE. Merged dataset will see several processing displays including investigation of short and long wavelength results. 
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Project Benefits

The anticipated outcome will be a static geologic model and hydrothermal flow concept model leading to the delineation of a prospective target. This is an essential step required before any test drilling can occur (Phase 5). 

The Project Concept will also advance the collective knowledge base for geothermal related projects through developing methodologies used to explore and quantify new low carbon opportunities elsewhere provincially and nationally. 

Location 

The Project Concept is proposed on the east side of Kootenay Lake, in the area around Crawford Bay, in BC’s Southeast Region. It is in the territory of the Ktunaxa Nation. 

Geoscience BC encourages anyone planning exploration work to first contact Indigenous groups in the area. The Province of British Columbia’s Consultative Areas Database can help with this (https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/cadb/). The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) also produces an Indigenous Engagement Guidebook.