MR Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Mauritania Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 3.5% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Mauritania.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km Low Prospect
3.5%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Deep Target
7.3 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Direct Heat
152.7 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Continental Normal
25.3 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
84.3%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
149.9 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 0.3% 0.7% 1.2% 1.5% 1.8% 2.5%
175°C 0.2% 0.4% 0.6% 0.7% 0.9% 1.3%
200°C 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
225°C
250°C

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
1 030 700 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
36 074 km² 3.5%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
30 410 km² 3%
4 ...and within 100 km town
28 740 km² 2.6%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 9.3 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 7.7 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 116.5 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 132.1 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.6 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 28.1%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 73.1%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 136.4 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 49 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 127.8 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 32.1 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.3 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 16 590 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 69.3%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 84.3%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 90.9%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 9.1 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 289
Total Urban Population 22.8 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 71.2%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 5.6% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 6.3% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Mauritania across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Mauritania Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
7.3 km Lower 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 10th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
152.7 °C Lower 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 21th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
3.5% Lower 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 6th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
149.9 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 68th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
25.3 °C/km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 36th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
84.3% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 84th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
73.1% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 73th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
32.1 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 29th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
49 km Lower 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 12th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.2 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 50th percentile
Urban demand colocation
38.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 60th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Mauritania

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Mauritania indicates craton_shield geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 3.5% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 84.3% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by craton shield dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.6 km and crustal thickness of 49 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 149.9 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Mauritania 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 Mauritania is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 11 452 model cells (land area: 1 030 700 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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