Chile Geothermal Screening
Central-case models place 185 °C within 5.5 km of the surface beneath the great majority of Chile, and 200 °C is reached as shallow as 0.84 km somewhere in the country.
Key Geothermal Metrics
Primary baseline screening criterion
Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy
Maximum modeled temperature
Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)
Hot territory within 50 km transmission
Thermal volume in place (>80°C baseline)
Depth vs. Temperature Matrix (% Land Area)
Proportion of national territory exceeding target isotherm at specified depth
| Isotherm | 3.0 km | 4.0 km | 5.0 km | 6.0 km | 7.0 km | 8.0 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150°C | 48% | 86% | 92% | 94% | 95% | 96% |
| 175°C | 26% | 64% | 88% | 92% | 93% | 94% |
| 200°C | 15% | 28% | 69% | 88% | 92% | 93% |
| 225°C | 3% | 12% | 24% | 59% | 86% | 91% |
| 250°C | — | — | 6% | 15% | 34% | 75% |
4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel
Progressive screening from gross national territory down to grid-connected & populated prospective zones
Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters
Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints
| Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm | 4.6 km |
| Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C | 2.42 km |
| Median Temperature at 5 km Depth | 209 °C |
| Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km | 244 °C |
| Median Sediment Thickness | 0.23 km |
| Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share | 5% |
| Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover | 84% |
| Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth | 137 MPa |
| Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth | 33.8 km |
| Thermal Lithosphere Thickness | 54.7 km |
| Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth | 26.3 km |
| Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) | ±4.9 km |
Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation
Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity
| High-Voltage Transmission Network Length | 30 884 km |
| Land Area Within 25 km of Grid | 58% |
| Land Area Within 50 km of Grid | 70% |
| Land Area Within 100 km of Grid | 82% |
| Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line | 21.61 km |
| Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) | 65 |
| Total Urban Population | 12.9 M |
| Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) | 2% |
Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside
Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds
Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)
Relative ranking distribution of Chile across 11 standardized geothermal indicators
Need Interactive 3D Spatial Inversion for Chile?
High-resolution 3D temperature cubes, localized Curie depth inversions, fault network stress tensors, and drilling capex curves for Chile are accessible through our Premium & Enterprise subscription tiers.
Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Chile
Subsurface thermal interpretation, model uncertainty, infrastructure colocation, and resource quality analysis
Resource Overview & Thermal Base
Across Chile, the great majority of the land area reaches 185 °C within 5.5 km of the surface under central assumptions. Under optimistic assumptions that rises to nearly all of the country, while ground that reaches the target even on conservative assumptions covers a small share. The typical location reaches 200 °C at 4.6 km; across the best tenth of the country it is 2.42 km or shallower.
Uncertainty & Model Spread
The resource is poorly constrained here: the optimistic and conservative depth estimates for 200 °C differ by 4.9 km at the typical location. The case for any single site therefore depends on which thermal model applies locally, which is the question a screening study exists to answer and is not answerable from published maps alone.
Infrastructure & Grid Colocation
On infrastructure, a clear majority of the country lies within 50 km of existing transmission and around half within 100 km of a town of 10,000 or more. Prospective ground sits a median 21.61 km from the nearest line. Combining resource and access, a clear majority of the country is both prospective under central assumptions and within reach of the grid.
Sedimentary Cover & Basement Setting
Sedimentary cover is very thin across most of the country, a median 0.23 km, which is 5% of the way to 200 °C. That sets how much of each well is drilled through soft rock before reaching basement, and with it much of the cost. Beneath it the crust runs to 33.8 km and the lithosphere to 54.7 km.
Stored Heat Volume (3-7 km)
Taken as a whole, the rock between 3-7 km beneath Chile holds 1203.4 ZJ of heat above a reference of 80 °C, equivalent to roughly 2,000 years of total world primary energy consumption. That is stored heat in the ground, not recoverable energy: what can actually be produced is a small fraction of it and depends on the engineering that follows this screening.
Peer Benchmarking (237 Global Areas)
Against the 237 areas assessed so far, Chile sits above average for share of land meeting the headline target, and in the weakest quarter for how close its prospective ground lies to existing transmission.
Drilling Depth & Target Sensitivity
Accepting a deeper well changes the picture: at 7.5 km, nearly all of the country reaches 185 °C under central assumptions. Relaxing the temperature requirement instead, to 150 °C at 5.5 km, brings in nearly all of the country.
Screening Methodology, Parameters & Limitations
This screening assessment for Chile is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 22 July 2026 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 2 818 model cells (land area: 920 544 km²). Baseline prospective criterion is defined as reaching 80°C at or above 5.5 km depth with surface temperature normalized to 15°C.
- Screening estimates represent regional-scale heat in place and do not replace localized 3D seismic or exploratory drilling.
- Model uncertainties expand in regions with sparse deep boreholes and complex thrust fault kinematics.
- Grid proximity indicators reflect line-of-sight distance to high-voltage transmission and do not account for local substation thermal capacity.
Access 3D temperature grids, drilling cost curves, and micro-siting GIS layers.
Request Full Technical Dossier