The EU funded project CRM-geothermal aims to establish an overview of the potential for critical raw materials (CRM) in geothermal fluids across the EU and third countries (Ref). Within this framework, the geothermal sites of Tuzla, Seferihisar and Dikili in eastern Turkey have been visited in March 2023. To estimate the potential of CRM at these sites, a comprehensive sampling program was performed. Rock samples (drill gravel) of the production borehole and scaling from gas-water separators were obtained. Furthermore, sampling of geothermal fluids (gas and brine) and precipitates (salt) along the production line was performed.
Here, the results of the geochemical analyses of solid sample materials (drill gravel, scales and salt) are presented.
All analyses were performed in the ElMiE-Lab (Elements and Minerals of the Earth Laboratory) at German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam, Germany (https://labinfrastructure.geo-x.net/laboratories/8). For their major and minor element compositions, bulk samples of drill gravel and scales were analyzed with XRF and ICP-MS, respectively. Salt precipitates were analyzed for dry loss and mineral composition using XRD.