Geothermal Exploration Before Drilling
Before a multi-million-pound geothermal well is drilled, developers need the strongest possible model of lithology, reservoir depth, structure and thermal context. VEXRAD ADR adds depth-referenced subsurface intelligence acquired from the surface.
Start a Project Fit Check →Yes — geothermal targets can be investigated extensively before drilling, but the well remains the decisive test.
Modern geothermal exploration combines geology and multiple geophysical methods. ADR contributes a Virtual Borehole: a depth-referenced interpretation designed to help characterise and rank a target before committing to the physical well.
A geothermal well concentrates geological, technical and capital risk in one decision.
Where is the target formation?
Depth and thickness of reservoir units and key formation boundaries.
What changes with depth?
Lithology, structures and thermal/reservoir indicators that can alter the drilling hypothesis.
Where should the next well go?
Integrate ADR with seismic, MT, gravity, geology and existing wells to rank the next investigation.
SCREEN → CHARACTERISE → ADR SCAN → VIRTUAL BOREHOLE → RANK → DRILL
ADR is not positioned as a substitute for the geothermal exploration stack. It is an additional surface-acquired, depth-referenced measurement that can be integrated with established geoscience before drilling.
Depth-referenced geothermal intelligence
| Decision | Potential ADR contribution | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Formation tops and lithology | Depth-referenced lithology classification and formation-boundary interpretation. | Performance depends on geology and calibration. |
| Reservoir interval | Candidate reservoir sands/units and structural changes. | Does not guarantee permeability or flow. |
| Thermal context | Temperature-related proxy behaviour where calibrated and validated. | Not a substitute for downhole temperature measurement. |
Deep geothermal examples tested against wells
Denmark
VEXRAD reports a ~4 km Virtual Borehole workflow over deep wells, with blind cross-validation of lithology classification against drill-log-derived geology. The published VEXRAD case study reports a sand-prediction correlation of r = 0.89 while also reporting false alarms and resolution limits.
United Downs, Cornwall
An ADR Virtual Borehole acquired in 2014 identified three candidate permeable zones before the deep well was drilled. VEXRAD later compared those pre-drill predictions with public well information under its evidence framework.
Perth Basin
ADR Virtual Boreholes were tied to existing well and seismic control to investigate reservoir sandstones and temperature context in a hot-sedimentary-aquifer setting.
Questions technical teams ask
How do you explore for geothermal resources before drilling?
Geothermal exploration typically integrates geological mapping, geochemistry, temperature information and geophysical methods such as seismic, gravity, magnetics, electrical/EM and magnetotellurics. ADR can add a selected-location depth-referenced Virtual Borehole to that evidence stack.
Can geophysics predict a geothermal reservoir?
Geophysics can identify structures, physical-property contrasts and candidate reservoir units, but commercial reservoir performance ultimately depends on drilling and testing permeability, temperature, pressure and flow.
What can an ADR Virtual Borehole show for geothermal exploration?
Depending on geology and calibration, it may support interpretation of lithology, formation boundaries, reservoir candidate intervals, structures and temperature-related proxy behaviour with depth.
Can ADR replace magnetotellurics or seismic?
No. The methods measure different physical responses and operate differently. VEXRAD positions ADR as a complementary depth-referenced evidence layer rather than a universal replacement.
Can ADR tell whether a geothermal well will flow?
No. ADR does not guarantee permeability, fracture connectivity or commercial flow. These require drilling and reservoir testing.
Turn the search question into a testable geological question.
VEXRAD’s no-cost Project Fit Check reviews the target, depth, geology and evidence already available before recommending whether ADR is technically relevant.
Start a Project Fit Check →See the evidence →
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