Structural and Stratigraphic Controls of Malawi's Hotsprings : a Review

Active continental divergent zones such as those in the East African Rift System (EARS) hold significant potential for commercially exploitable geothermal resources. Evaluating these zones and characterizing the structural and stratigraphic controls may give insights of the most favourable locations for geothermal activity in a particular area. Due to the geological setting in the western branch of the EARS, several surface manifestations of geothermal energy mostly in the form of hotsprings have been found throughout Malawi. According to our results it seems that there is a strong correlation between the strike of the hotsprings, rock type, regional faulting and the seismic rupture in 2009. However, the country’s full potential has not been evaluated despite these hotspring manifestations throughout this rift segment. Those hotsprings with a high probability of containing easily extractable, commercially viable energy have still to be re-evaluated in order to locate the most favourable areas for geothermal exploration in the area. To achieve this, more local studies are necessary in order to understand better the stratigraphic and structural controls of the hotsprings in the studied area, in order to attract local and international investors. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to give an overview of the geological, structural, geochemical and seismic characteristics in northern Malawi for the exploration of geothermal energy. Once explored, this resource could become crucial in the country’s future development and economy