From May 9 to 13, the Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle (ULS) organised Geo3En’s second physical training activity (ISP).

In order to visualize a real reservoir geometry and describe fault structure all students visited mines within the Upper Rhine Graben shoulders in Vosges and Black Forest massifs. Ore deposits have been exploited along meter thick veins, i.e. filled fractures cutting through gneissic variscan basement.

Ore mineral veins have been chosen as their formation is considered to be a good analogue to present day fluid circulation in active deep geothermal reservoirs within fractured basement rocks. Several outcrops chosen according to their degree of deformation were investigated in order to construct a conceptual fluid circulation model taking into account the role of tectonic heritage and anisotropy development.

During this field training on the French-German boarder, students had to critically review their working hypotheses formulated using the 3D model, develop observation skills and apply all theoretical knowledge gained during ULS preparatory online training.

The journey ended visiting three active powerplants at Soultz sous Forêts and Rittershoffen (France) and Insheim (Germany).