12 Guaymas Basin and Gulf of California Subsurface Systems and Energy Applications

This session will present subsurface research in the Gulf of California, especially IODP Expedition 385 to Guaymas Basin that explored the linkages between tectonics, magmatism, sedimentation, hydrothermalism, carbon cycling, and microbial life. Merged sessions: Subsurface Research  in Guaymas Basin and the Gulf of California and Energy Resources and Economic Development in Baja California: Fossil, Renewable, and Transition Minerals.

Wednesday, 22 April 2026
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
LMH, Isla Carmen

Heat Flow Exploration in and Around the Gulf of California Rift: Implications for Geothermal Resources from a Decade of Oceanographic Expeditions

Paper number: 12-12
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 4:10 PM – 4:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Heat-flow surveys conducted over the past decade across multiple rift basins in the Gulf of California provide new constraints on the thermal structure, hydrothermal circulation, and geothermal resource potential of an active continental rift. Integrated measurements of heat flow, thermal properties, sub-bottom profiles  have been acquired in the Wagner, Guaymas, and Pescadero basins, with regional context from additional geophysical surveys in the Carmen, Farallón, and Alarcón basins.

Results reveal strong along-rift variability in geothermal regimes, reflecting fundamental differences between sedimented and magma-dominated spreading centers. In the northern Gulf, including the Wagner Basin, extremely high and laterally extensive heat-flow anomalies are associated with thick sedimentary cover, crustal thinning, and fault-controlled fluid circulation. These conditions promote thermal insulation and reservoir development, yielding geothermal gradients that are favorable for medium- to high-enthalpy resource exploitation, as documented by basin-scale surveys and numerical modeling (e.g., Peña-Domínguez et al., 2022; Vega et al., 2025). Thermal budgets indicate that advective heat transport dominates local heat loss, implying efficient recharge pathways and sustained hydrothermal circulation.

In contrast, basins further south such as Guaymas and Pescadero are characterized by strong magmatic heat input, including active sill emplacement and focused vent fields. Here, geothermal systems are spatially concentrated and closely tied to intrusive complexes, producing localized but high-enthalpy thermal anomalies and vigorous fluid–sediment interaction. These contrasting thermal architectures highlight distinct geothermal system types within the same rift system, with important implications for exploration strategies and long-term reservoir behavior.

Together, these observations demonstrate that geothermal prospectivity in young rifts is controlled not only by crustal heat supply, but critically by sediment architecture, permeability structure, and fluid circulation pathways. The Gulf of California thus serves as a natural laboratory for evaluating how tectonic evolution regulates geothermal systems during continental breakup. Ongoing efforts focus on refining reservoir-scale models, integrating heat-flow data with structural controls, and identifying scalable marine geothermal prospects with potential relevance for future offshore energy development.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-411078

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