DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/ijred.2025.60766

Characterization of a geothermal system in the shallow structure of Seulawah volcano, Indonesia, using transient electromagnetic methods

1Geophysical Engineering Department, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Darussalam-Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia

2Geological Engineering, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Darussalam-Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia

3Geophysical Engineering Department, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung, Indonesia

4 Chemistry Department, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Darussalam-Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia

5 Energy and Mineral Resources Agency of Aceh Province, Banda Aceh 23114, Indonesia

6 Graduate School of Mathematics and Applied Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia

7 PT. Elnusa Tbk, Simatupang, Graha Elnusa, Jakarta Selatan 12560, Indonesia

8 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory Malaysia, Malaysia

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Received: 15 Oct 2024; Revised: 16 Feb 2025; Accepted: 19 Mar 2025; Available online: 27 Mar 2025; Published: 1 May 2025.
Editor(s): Sohail Nadeem
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Seulawah volcano, located in Sumatra, Indonesia, is renowned for its geothermal potential, a crucial source of cleaner energy for Indonesia’s future growth and security. Available studies of Seulawah volcano primarily focus on its general geological, geochemical, and regional characteristics, with limited research on its shallow subsurface conditions. This study aimed to fill this research gap and enhance our understanding of the geothermal system of Seulawah volcano. There are two objectives of this study: (1) to conduct a transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey across the study area and (2) to better visualize and characterize the shallow subsurface conditions of the geothermal system of Seulawah volcano. The TEM method, which employed 60 stations (with distances between stations ranging from 0.5 to 1 km) and intersected several geothermal manifestations as well as local and regional faults, was used to achieve the objectives of this study. The Occam algorithm was applied for 1D inversion of TEM data, which was then validated using magnetotelluric data. The results of this study indicate that the geothermal system of Seulawah volcano has the potential to generate up to 230 Mwe of electrical energy. Moreover, the shallow depth (<200m) of Seulawah volcano is dominated by a resistive zone, which is interpreted to be related to the basaltic rocks of the Lamteuba Formation. The reservoir layer is located at depths of 200–500 m, exhibiting moderate resistivity values of >10 Ωm. At a depth of 500 m, a conductive layer with resistivity values <10 Ωm was observed, interpreted as a clay cap where fluids from the reservoir layer accumulate. Validation with magnetotelluric data shows results consistent with the TEM data, confirming that the findings of this study are reliable. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the geothermal system of Seulawah volcano and are expected to support the development of greener, renewable energy sources for Indonesia.

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Keywords: Transient electromagnetic; Seulawah volcano; geothermal; geochemical analysis

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Section: Original Research Article
Language : EN
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