SO Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Somalia Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 53.8% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Somalia.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
53.8%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
1.6 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
290.3 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
66 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
62.8%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
564.7 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 22.2% 40.7% 60% 82.3% 99% 100%
175°C 18.5% 29.4% 58.3% 74.4% 93.3% 100%
200°C 12.1% 26.6% 49.6% 64% 78.5% 95.6%
225°C 10.7% 22.6% 40% 53.6% 66.3% 84.2%
250°C 9.5% 20.3% 26.5% 40% 57% 59.9%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
637 657 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
343 059 km² 53.8%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
215 441 km² 33.8%
4 ...and within 100 km town
197 194 km² 29.6%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 3.9 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 2.1 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 229.5 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 264.9 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.2 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 43.3%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 91.9%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 137.5 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 34.2 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 99.7 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 15.6 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 28 441 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 48.6%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 62.8%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 72.2%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 23 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 235
Total Urban Population 19.9 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 66.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 86.1% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 96.8% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Somalia across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Somalia Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
1.6 km Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 91th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
290.3 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 76th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
53.8% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 90th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
564.7 ZJ Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 86th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
66 °C/km Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 94th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
62.8% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 63th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
91.9% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 92th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
15.6 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 66th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
34.2 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 38th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±0.7 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 51th percentile
Urban demand colocation
59.1% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 85th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

Need Interactive 3D Spatial Inversion for Somalia?

High-resolution 3D temperature cubes, localized Curie depth inversions, fault network stress tensors, and drilling capex curves for Somalia are accessible through our Premium & Enterprise subscription tiers.

Direct Founder Contact: founders@geothermalradar.com

Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Somalia

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Somalia indicates rift_volcanic geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 53.8% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 62.8% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by rift volcanic dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.2 km and crustal thickness of 34.2 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 564.7 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Somalia 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 Somalia is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 7 085 model cells (land area: 637 657 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.
Need Detailed Asset-Level Due Diligence?

Access 3D temperature grids, drilling cost curves, and micro-siting GIS layers.

Request Full Technical Dossier