Not everywhere on the Earth sustains the same heat flow. The variation is largely due to variations in the presence of large, vertically extensive zones of permeability.

Advective heat transport quickly exceeds conductive heat flow even at fluid flow rates of as little as 1 cm/year.

Reproduced from Blackwell et al. 2004, SMU Geothermal Map of the United States.

Fault zones behavior varies strongly with depth. In geothermal systems this variation occurs at shallow enough depths that we can reach them via boreholes.

Preferential movement of large volumes of fluid along fault zones promotes alteration. This alteration can significantly change the future behavior of a fracture and will reflect the deformation conditions such as temperature and pressure the fracture experiences.

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