Basin geometry and sedimentary geothermal play potential in Utah’s Black Rock Desert

Geothermal play potential in sedimentary basins is controlled not only by temperature and heat flow, but by basin geometry and the distribution of thermophysical properties that govern heat retention and fluid connectivity. In the Black Rock Desert of central Utah, plausible differences in subsurface structural interpretations impact basin-fill thickness, the continuity of deeper carbonate and clastic intervals, and fault architecture that may focus or compartmentalize flow.

Our work presents a hybrid workflow that builds on existing Black Rock Desert structural and geophysical syntheses and shows how those building blocks can be extended into a property-informed sedimentary geothermal play model. We use a small suite of structurally admissible cross-section geometries to frame basin architecture while allowing alternative interpretations for the younger extensional overprint, including the Sevier Desert reflector and the distribution of Tertiary to Quaternary faulting. These alternative geometries provide a framework for comparing how stratigraphic continuity and fault placement influence likely reservoir connectivity.

We compile and expand a western Utah rock-property dataset focused on thermal conductivity and bulk density, with permeability represented as bracketed ranges tied to lithofacies, diagenesis, and structural overprints. Stratigraphic packages are grouped into thermophysical reservoir classes that capture contrasts between low-conductivity basin fill and deeper, higher-conductivity intervals. In this context, thick low-conductivity overburden acts as a thermal insulating cap, increasing thermal resistance and reducing conductive heat loss, which can raise expected temperatures at depth in elevated heat-flow settings.

Comparison of end-member geometries illustrates how uncertainty in basin-fill thickness, stratigraphic continuity, and fault placement propagates into first-order expectations for subsurface temperature, depth to target, and thermal resource longevity. The outcome is a transferable template for reservoir analysis applied to geothermal, using the Black Rock Desert as a case study for how basin architecture and thermophysical stratigraphy together shape sedimentary geothermal play potential in structurally inherited settings.