Examination of the potential for geothermal energy in parts of the Benue trough, Nigeria, through the use of high-resolution aeromagnetic data

Aeromagnetic data from nine sheets covering parts of Benue Trough Nigeria were analyzed to identify potential geothermal locations. The aeromagnetic data sheets were analyzed with Oasis Montaj 8.4, Matlab 7.5, Arcmap 10.7.1, and Surfer 13 combined. The centroid depth method was used to spectrally evaluate the depth of high-resolution aeromagnetic data. The findings showed that the research area's geothermal heat flow values range from 88.52259 mW/m2 to 166.2844 mW/m2, while the Curie Point Depth values range from 8.55 km to 16.38 km with a mean depth of 12.2068 km. The Geothermal Gradient values vary from 35.40904 ℃/km to 66.51376 ℃/km with a mean value of 48.85639 ℃/km. The region's mean thermal transfer is 122.1410 mW/m2. It appears that the Curie Point Depth is highest for the lowest thermal transfer values and lowest for the highest thermal transfer values. The study area's heat flow measurements indicate that the crust is oceanic. The comprehensive geothermal data this study provides may aid the study area's exploitation of geothermal energy. Given the extremely high heat flow recorded, there is a likelihood that the studied area has geothermal energy sources. As a result, it was observed that practically the entire study region had substantial heat flow (>80 mW/m2), suggesting the possibility of a geothermal energy source.