JM North America Updated 2026-08-20

Jamaica Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 31.9% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Jamaica.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
31.9%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2.3 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
291.1 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
48.3 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
88.1%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
48.6 ZJ

Thermal volume in place (>80°C baseline)

Depth vs. Temperature Matrix (% Land Area)

Proportion of national territory exceeding target isotherm at specified depth

0.1° Inversion Grid
Isotherm 3.0 km 4.0 km 5.0 km 6.0 km 7.0 km 8.0 km
150°C 11.6% 20.4% 37.6% 47.3% 69.5% 82.8%
175°C 9.6% 20.6% 29.2% 40.8% 52.3% 74.5%
200°C 8.6% 19.3% 28.8% 40.7% 49.7% 59%
225°C 7.1% 14.9% 20.7% 32.5% 35.4% 44.7%
250°C 4.4% 11.1% 17.4% 23.2% 34.7% 36.6%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

Progressive screening from gross national territory down to grid-connected & populated prospective zones

1 Whole country
10 991 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
3 506 km² 31.9%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
3 089 km² 28.1%
4 ...and within 100 km town
2 592 km² 24.2%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 4.7 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 3.3 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 198.6 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 250 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.3 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 44.9%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 84.5%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 134.3 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 46.2 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 103 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 17.1 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.5 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 4 486 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 75.7%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 88.1%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 98.4%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 21.5 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 42
Total Urban Population 1.9 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 22.4%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 51% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 57.4% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Jamaica across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Jamaica Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2.3 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 81th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
291.1 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 76th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
31.9% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 53th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
48.6 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 53th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
48.3 °C/km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 69th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
88.1% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 88th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
84.5% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 84th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
17.1 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 62th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
46.2 km Lower 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 17th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.7 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 61th percentile
Urban demand colocation
64.6% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 61th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Jamaica

Subsurface thermal interpretation, model uncertainty, infrastructure colocation, and resource quality analysis

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Jamaica indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 31.9% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

Thermal inversion across Jamaica shows consistent model convergence with constrained standard deviations across deep crustal layers.

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 88.1% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by volcanic arc dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.3 km and crustal thickness of 46.2 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 48.6 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Jamaica demonstrates competitive positioning across heat flow, infrastructure, and basement competence indicators.

Target Sensitivity Analysis

Screening at 150°C baseline at 5.5 km increases prospective territory, demonstrating substantial deep EGS resource headroom.

Screening Methodology, Parameters & Limitations

This screening assessment for Jamaica is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 122 model cells (land area: 10 991 km²). Baseline prospective criterion is defined as reaching 185°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.
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