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Multidisciplinary Approach To Conceptual Modelling Of Hydrothermal Systems In Croatia

Hydrothermal resources have been used for tourism and energy purposes in Pannonian part of Croatia for decades. Due to favourable geothermal and structural characteristics, natural thermal water springs emerge at two dozen localities, with temperatures up to 65 °C. Thermal springs are part of hydrothermal systems (HTS) which include: recharge areas in the mountainous hinterlands of the springs ; geothermal aquifers (in Croatia mostly Mesozoic carbonate rocks) in which water resides and gets heated due to heat flow from the Earth ; and discharge areas in places with favourable structural characteristics of higher permeability. The continuous functioning of such systems depends on a delicate balance between groundwater flow velocities, precipitation/dissolution processes and structural framework. The increase in thermal water utilisation is foreseen by many European and Croatian strategic documents regulating energetics, tourism, environmental protection and sustainable development. Sustainable utilisation of thermal water resource from natural springs demands understanding on a system level. It is necessary to investigate the whole cycle ‐ from recharge to discharge of the systems. Multidisciplinary methodology (structural geology, hydrogeology, geothermal, hydrogeochemical and geophysical research and remote sensing) will be used to develop and physically validate the conceptual models of HTSs, perform 3D geological modelling, hydrogeological and thermal parametrisation of the geological units involved in the thermal fluid flow, and conduct numerical simulations of system functioning in undisturbed conditions and with different extraction scenarios. The aim is to delineate geothermal resources, locate aquifers or structures that may control aquifers, or assess the general properties of the HTS. Methodology will be applied to three HTS pilot areas in the Pannonian part of Croatia, all of which are well known for the utilisation of their thermal water resources: Daruvar, Hrvatsko zagorje and Topusko. These three systems have a different level of initial data availability and it shall therefore be determined which methodology and order of application of different methods should be applied while researching the systems with considerable existing data, medium amount of data and very scarce data, respectively.

hydrothermal system, natural thermal spring, multidisciplinary research, Croatia

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