Clough, J.G., Daanen, R.P., Benoit, Dick, Holdmann, G.P., and Harun, N.T., 2014, Dynamic integration of geothermal data: An example from Pilgrim Hot Springs, Alaska: Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Abstracts with Programs v. 46, no. 6, p. 207.
Geothermal exploration activities in Alaska from the late 1970s into the 1980s generated vast quantities of scientific data that currently is in unpublished, forgotten and obscure, as well as published formats. Alaska has 97 geothermal springs, 48 hot springs (hotter than 50°C) and 49 ?warm to cool springs? (cooler than 50°C). Thirty-seven thermal springs are located within the Aleutian and Alaska Peninsula volcanic arc into and are related to elevated heat flows in areas of arc volcanism as well as crustal scale faults associated with accretionary tectonism. The central interior belt that extends from the Seward Peninsula to Circle Hot Springs contains 39 thermal springs that formed due to radioactive decay associated within plutonic bodies and through extensional tectonic forces. An additional 17 thermal springs are in southeast Alaska and 4 are in the Wrangell Mountains.
A new cycle of geothermal exploration is underway in Alaska and is producing a wealth of new geothermal data. The Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS), funded by the National Geothermal Data System, is compiling both new and legacy geothermal data into a comprehensive database accessible on the ADGGS website. ADGGS has created a new ?Geothermal Sites of Alaska Map? and associated database that includes data on geothermal hot springs, direct use of geothermal resources, volcanic vents, aqueous geochemistry, borehole temperatures, core descriptions, rock chemistry, earthquakes in proximity to hot springs, and active faults. Additionally, a new comprehensive and searchable Alaska geothermal bibliography, with links to downloadable reference sources was created during this study. The completed Alaska geothermal sites map and database will be accessible to the public and industry and will enable research and development of geothermal sites in Alaska.
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