“Profound People” Geothermal Superheroes – Episode 3

Cary Lindsey & Jim Faulds 

🔗  Click me to watch the interview

In Episode 3 of Profound People, we’re thrilled to bring you insights from two of Nevada’s top academic experts—Cary Lindsey and Jim Faulds—who are shaping the future of geothermal exploration. In this episode, they deep dive into the world of geothermal systems, discussing Play Fairway Analysis and the technologies that are driving progress in scaling geothermal energy.

Tune in to hear Cary and Jim’s expert insights on how their research is propelling geothermal energy to the next level, bringing us closer to unlocking the full potential of this reliable energy resource.

We’re eager to hear from you – share your thoughts, connect with us, and nominate your favorite Geothermal Profound People. Together, let’s celebrate and amplify the voices that are propelling us towards viable geothermal power.

Connect with our experts:
🔗 Cary Lindsey: LinkedIn
🌐 Great Basin Center for Geothermal: Website
🔗 Jim Faulds: UNR Profile
🔗 Rusty Muscarella: LinkedIn

Click here for the Audio only version: 

Transcript Summary: 12 minute read

Cary Lindsey
All right, my name is Cary Lindsey. I’m a research geologist at the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, part of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology—our state geologic survey at the University of Nevada, Reno. I’ve been in geothermal for a little over a decade if you count my years of schooling. I call myself a hydrothermal geostatistician—I like moving hot water, geostatistics, and applying them to finding geothermal systems.

Jim Faulds
I’m Jim Faulds, the Associate Director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and a professor in geology at UNR. I’ve been working in geothermal for over 20 years. I’m a structural geologist, focused on understanding fault controls on geothermal activity and applying that to finding hidden systems beneath the surface.

Rusty (Interviewer)
It’s great to have both of you here today. Thanks for the intro. My first question is, what sparked your interest in hydrothermal systems, and what excites you about it today?

Cary
I had no clue what I was getting into. I was a psychology major, and a professor told me, “You’re in the wrong field. This isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing.” She encouraged me to look at Earth sciences. I started reading journals, trying to figure out my path, and found an article on geothermal energy. I literally ran into her office and said, “This is what I want to do.”

Jim
I stumbled into geothermal accidentally. In 2002, there was a call for proposals I initially ignored. A fellow geologist at the Bureau took me on a tour of some local geothermal sites. Within weeks, I was hooked. I realized this was a way to apply my research to something with real societal relevance. Geothermal energy became a passion—a major renewable energy source that combines science with impact.

Cary
To add to that, this is a community like no other. People enter as researchers or grad students, but they stay for the people.

Jim
I couldn’t agree more.

Rusty
How does academia help the geothermal industry progress?

Jim
Good question. Academia has more leeway to conduct fundamental research that industry may not have time or funding for. We perform regional assessments of geothermal potential and detailed analyses of local areas. This provides the industry with valuable insights to reduce exploration risk and improve efficiency in geothermal development.

Cary
Before I joined, I saw as an outsider how important the work here was for real-world geothermal development. Now, being part of it, I see the immediate impact. The work Jim and others do can be directly correlated with industry growth in megawatts. It’s almost like we’re a subsidy for geothermal—supporting both industry and academia.

Jim
Historically, people thought geothermal systems needed surface manifestations—hot springs, fumaroles, or hydrothermal alteration. But in Nevada, about 70% of systems have no surface expression. These “hidden” geothermal systems have become a major focus of our work. The largest power plant in Nevada was a hidden system, along with several smaller ones.

Cary
We’ve advanced from basic temperature surveys to using geophysics—gravity data, MT data—to understand the subsurface. Jim has been a key figure in this, along with structural characterization work.

Jim
Almost 40% of known geothermal systems in the region were discovered by accident—through mineral or agricultural wells hitting hot water. There are about 460 known systems, so if we refine our methods for targeting hidden ones, the potential is enormous. We still don’t know which techniques work best, whether a system will show up in shallow surveys, or if we need to drill deeper. That’s why geophysical techniques and fault pattern analysis are critical.

Rusty
How important is modern data and technology in improving efficiency in finding hidden systems?

Jim
AI and machine learning have potential, but we are still data-poor in Nevada. Despite having more data than most regions, much of Nevada still lacks the information we need to identify hidden systems. Until we enhance these datasets, AI and machine learning will be limited in effectiveness.

Cary
Machine learning is useful for ranking exploration priorities, identifying which systems are most similar to known ones. The challenge is training on a limited set of systems—we might be missing different geothermal types. When I started applying machine learning, I thought it would replace expert-driven research, but I’ve learned that expert knowledge is irreplaceable. The best approach is a combination of data-driven techniques and human expertise.

Jim
Regional data sets, such as geological mapping, are critical. Only 25% of Nevada has been well-mapped. One key geophysical tool is gravity surveys, which help identify faults in the subsurface. People think of Nevada as mountainous, but half of it consists of basins, where geothermal potential is highest. Yet, we know more about the surface of the Moon than what lies beneath our basins. Currently, only 10–15% of Nevada has detailed gravity survey coverage.

Rusty
How do geology and geophysics integrate into the exploration process?

Cary
One of our most valuable tools is Play Fairway analysis, adopted from oil and gas. It integrates geologic, geophysical, and civil data with weighted layers to reduce risk and identify favorable areas. Geothermal is one of the most multidisciplinary fields—geologists, geophysicists, engineers all play essential roles. The data collection, modeling, interpretation, and resource integration each require different expertise.

Jim
Play Fairway analysis combines multiple datasets into a cohesive model. We know about 15 key data sets, but some are more important than others. Play Fairway helps determine weightings—for example, one dataset might be three times more valuable than another. These weightings ultimately create a quantitative result for identifying likely geothermal locations.

Rusty
How important is studying crustal and lithospheric-scale processes for identifying hidden systems?

Jim
Very important. One key factor is strain rate—the rate at which an area is undergoing tectonic deformation. Nevada is being stretched, making it the third most seismically active state. This extension creates dilation along faults, allowing fluids to flow more easily. It also thins the crust, bringing hotter material closer to the surface, creating a high geothermal gradient.

If we develop renewable geothermal resources, they could provide energy for decades. Some Nevada plants have operated for over 40 years and may last another 100 years. We still don’t fully understand the long-term sustainability of these systems. The Earth naturally maintains fluid flow in some areas for thousands of years.

Cary
Earlier this year, we held our first geothermal open house and plan to continue it annually, the week before Earth Day at UNR. It’s a geothermal town hall—an opportunity for the community to ask questions, express concerns, and learn more about geothermal energy. If you’d like to follow our work, visit our website: https://gbcge.org/—the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy. We list faculty, students, and programs. Feel free to reach out;  we’re always happy to discuss geothermal.

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