Evaluation of geothermal resource potential of the Lower Benue Trough using aeromagnetic and radiometric data

A critical analysis, assessment and evaluation of geothermal resource potentials of Lower Benue Trough was carried out using high-resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric data collected by Fugro airborne surveys, having flight line spacing of 200 m, tie line spacing of 2 km, flight line trend of 035°, and tie line trend of 125°. The data collected within the study area were interpreted and analyzed to determine the geothermal viability of the area for possible harnessing to curb energy crisis ravaging the area and as well generate a clean energy that is environmentally friendly. The interpretation of the acquired data was carried out with the aid of the following software—Oasis Montaj, ArcGIS, Surfer, Microsoft Excel and IIwis. It was observed from this study that the average curie depth, average geothermal gradient and the average heat flow of the Lower Benue Trough are 13.96742 km, 159.4072 mW/m2 and 42.639 °C/km respectively. The following for Lower Benue Trough were also generated and they include—total magnetic intensity map (TMI), TMI map reduced to the equator (RTE), first vertical derivative (FVD), upward continuation maps (UC), gamma spectrometric images of radioactive elements (potassium, thorium, and uranium), ternary map, and others. This research in summary exposed the geothermal viability of the study area and its possible potential for petroleum exploration.