Research may connect asteroid impact to geothermal resource

In Australia, a University of Queensland researcher has found evidence of a major asteroid impact that occurred near the Queensland-South Australia border more than 300 million years ago. Dr Tongu Uysal discovered the asteroid impact during studies of the Cooper Basin, a large geothermal energy resource being developed on the border between Queensland and South Australia. Dr Uysal said the impact of the asteroid triggered a huge explosion and caused the ground water to boil and induce chemical and mineralogy changes in the surrounding rocks. “This may have resulted in the re-concentration of various heat-producing elements which has made the Cooper Basin such a rich source of geothermal energy today,” he said. The asteroid produced a shock zone at least 50 miles wide.