Sulfate geothermometry of thermal waters in the western United States

Sulfate geothermometry recently gained acceptance as a geothermal exploration tool when it was adopted as one of the geothermometers in the Assessment of Geothermal Resources of the United States-1978 (Muffler 1979). Over 120 samples, 75 of which are from Known Geothermal Resource Areas, were used in the assessment. Data required for calculation of the sulfate geothermometer temperatures, along with Na-K-Ca, quartz, and chalcedony geothermometer temperatures for comparison, are listed in table 1. For greater accuracy data from new or better samples have occasionally supplemented or replaced data used in the 1978 assessment. Samples from Yellowstone National Park has been omitted because they were discussed by McKenzie and Truesdell (1974).