The Pueblo of Jemez, in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been awarded nearly $5 million of federal stimulus funds by the Department of Energy in order to study the geothermal potential that exists on the Jemez reservation, according to a story published this week in the Los Alamos Monitor. Click here to read this article in its entirety.
According to scientists, the Jemez Mountains’ magma chamber lurks just 3-4 miles beneath the surface of the earth in some points. This molten rock heats subterranean water, which comes to the surface in the form of hot springs.
Such hot springs (or “ojos calientes”) exist in a variety of locations throughout the Jemez Mountains, including in Jemez Pueblo, on the banks of the Jemez River. Managers of the newly-funded project hope to drill two wells (each 3,000 feet deep) near these springs in order to gain an inventory of possible underground reservoirs of hot water that could be used to generate electricity (or at least, according to the article, facilitate the operation of a spa therapy center, greenhouse, or aquaculture facility).
