MX North America Updated 2026-08-20

Mexico Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 35.1% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Mexico.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
35.1%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
3 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
294.5 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
56.3 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
71.6%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
859 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 13.4% 22.6% 39.9% 60.1% 78.3% 79.7%
175°C 9.3% 19.4% 32.6% 44.5% 56.7% 78.3%
200°C 8.1% 16.4% 28.2% 44.5% 53.1% 72.5%
225°C 8.8% 17.3% 27.4% 31.9% 44.4% 52%
250°C 5% 13.4% 18% 30.3% 32.6% 42.4%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
1 964 375 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
689 496 km² 35.1%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
493 679 km² 25.1%
4 ...and within 100 km town
430 499 km² 23.7%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 6 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 4 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 233.5 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 266.5 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.3 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 35.2%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 80.2%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 130.2 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 39.3 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 113.1 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 18.3 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.2 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 46 984 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 55.2%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 71.6%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 82.9%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 10.7 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 229
Total Urban Population 57.5 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 28.4%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 56.2% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 63.2% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Mexico across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Mexico Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
3 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 71th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
294.5 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 78th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
35.1% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 59th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
859 ZJ Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 92th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
56.3 °C/km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 80th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
71.6% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
80.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 80th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
18.3 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 60th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
39.3 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 29th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.1 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 79th percentile
Urban demand colocation
68.3% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 68th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Mexico

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Mexico indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 35.1% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 71.6% 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 39.3 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 859 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Mexico 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 Mexico is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 21 826 model cells (land area: 1 964 375 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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