ESTIMATION OF CURIE-POINT ISOTHERM DEPTHS FOR GEOTHERMAL POTENTIAL OF PARTS OF CENTRAL NIGERIA

Abstract

An estimation of curie point depths (CPDs), corresponding geothermal gradients (GG), and heat flow (q) was carried out from six High Resolution Aeromagnetic (HRAM) data of parts of central Nigeria using the spectral centroid analysis method. The HRAM was divided into 28 overlapping spectral blocks, and each block was analysed to obtain depths to the top (Z_t), centroid (Z₀), and bottom (Z_b or CPD) of the magnetic sources, respectively. Using these values, the corresponding values of geothermal gradient and heat flow were equally determined for the study area. The result shows that CPD varies between 8.95 km and 24.63 km with an average of 16.33 km, the GG between 22.42 °C/km to 61.77 °C/km with an average of 35.52 °C/km, while the heat flow varies between 56.04 mW/m² to 154.42 mW/m² with an average of 88.80 mW/m², which is within the required heat to generate geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is a promising, sustainable alternative to hydro energy and fossil fuels. Therefore, considering the current energy challenge bedeviling Nigeria, this study is important for assessing the geothermal potential and possible suitability of the study area for geothermal energy generation to contribute towards mitigating Nigeria’s energy challenge.