Chapter 1: Site investigation

This chapter addresses the best practices for locating of a geothermal site. A scale-dependent workflow has been developed for this purpose describing a step-by-step procedure on how to locate a reservoir using different techniques. It introduces different tools and approaches to investigate resources from continental to regional, as well as local and reservoir scales (Figure 2). This method is implemented into workflow examples applied to various geo-environments depending on the geological context of the site: sediments, volcanics, granites and metamorphics. Taking into account sites in Iceland, France, Russia, Italy, Germany and Austria, a critical overview of the workflow processes is presented. This first chapter ends with prospective considerations about mapping parameters, integrating data, and improving imaging between wells.