(Sulfide-oxide-silicate phase equilibria and associated fluid inclusion properties in the Salton Sea geothermal system, California)

Our studies involved petrographic, fluid inclusion, geochemical and stable isotopic studies of drillcores and fluids from the Salton Sea geothermal system. Our initial studies revealed the presence of previously-unrecognized evaporitic anhydrite at depth throughout the geothermal system. The high salinity of the Salton Sea geothermal brines previously had been attributed to low-temperature dissolution of surficial evaporitic deposits by meteoric waters. Our microthermometric studies of halite--containing fluid inclusions in the meta-evaporites indicated that the high salinity of the geothermal brines is derived in part from the hydrothermal metamorphism of relatively deeply-buried salt and evaporites. In addition, our research concentrated on mineralized fractures in drillcores.