The Soda Lake Geothermal field, owned and operated by Cyrq Energy, has a long and interesting history that make it unique. The field is near a Quaternary volcanic feature, the Soda Lake maar, a rarity at Basin and Range geothermal fields, and there is a buried late Miocene cone in the center of the field. The Carson River Route of the Emigrant Trail passes through. Chevron and Phillips started geothermal exploration here in the 1970’s. One of the early Ormat binary plants was installed here in 1987, operating until 2018. Most recently, a new Ormat plant was installed and began operations in November 2019. The Soda Lake virtual field trip will be led by Dick Benoit, who worked as a geologist at Soda Lake starting in 1974, Holly McLachlan, who recently finished her PHD at UNR reinterpreting the drill cuttings and subsurface geology in the field, and the Cyrq staff managing the plant and resource. Plus, Nevada State geologist, Jim Faulds will make a guest appearance to discuss the tectonic setting of the area. Q&A to follow.
