{"id":20106,"date":"2026-06-23T17:22:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/?p=20106"},"modified":"2026-08-21T13:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:08:45","slug":"cega-destaca-en-el-congreso-mundial-de-geotermia-2026-con-investigaciones-sobre-sistemas-geotermicos-de-chile-y-los-andes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/cega-destaca-en-el-congreso-mundial-de-geotermia-2026-con-investigaciones-sobre-sistemas-geotermicos-de-chile-y-los-andes\/","title":{"rendered":"CEGA Stands Out at the 2026 World Geothermal Congress with Research on Geothermal Systems in Chile and the Andes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Andean Geothermal Center of Excellence (CEGA) at the University of Chile had a prominent presence at the 2026 World Geothermal Congress (WGC), held from June 8 to 11 in Calgary, Canada.<\/p>\n

The event, organized by the International Geothermal Association (IGA) and Geothermal Canada, brought together researchers, industry representatives, public agencies, and decision-makers from around the world to address the challenges and opportunities of geothermal energy in the context of the global energy transition.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s congress, the CEGA team presented scientific findings related to geothermal exploration, the characterization of hydrothermal systems, and the study of minerals associated with geothermal activity in Chile and the Andean region.<\/p>\n

One of the highlights of Chile\u2019s participation was a presentation by CEGA Director and Full Professor at the University of Chile, Dr. Diego Morata, during the \u201cCountry Update\u201d session, which focused on the current state of geothermal development in different countries. In his presentation, he discussed the progress, challenges, and opportunities Chile faces in geothermal exploration, research, and resource utilization.<\/p>\n

In addition, the University of Chile researcher and faculty member presented the study \u201cLi-rich clays in Andean systems: the influence of geothermal activity in their genesis,\u201d which examines the role of geothermal activity in the formation of lithium-rich clays in Andean systems.<\/p>\n

\"\"sistemas andinos.<\/p>\n

\u201cEl Congreso Mundial de Geotermia es el principal espacio de encuentro para la comunidad geot\u00e9rmica internacional. Participar en esta instancia nos permite mostrar los avances que se est\u00e1n desarrollando en Chile, compartir conocimiento con investigadores de todo el mundo y fortalecer redes de colaboraci\u00f3n que son fundamentales para seguir impulsando el desarrollo de la geotermia en nuestro pa\u00eds y la regi\u00f3n. Esta instancia tambi\u00e9n nos permite ver el avance (lento) en I+D+i de la geotermia en Latinoam\u00e9rica as\u00ed como constatar que la ciencia que hacemos en Chile (y, en particular en el CEGA) es de muy alto nivel y\u00a0con resultados totalmente\u00a0comparables a los mostrados por investigadores de pa\u00edses m\u00e1s desarrollados\u201d, se\u00f1al\u00f3 Diego Morata.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For her part, Gloria Arancibia, CEGA researcher and Full Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), presented the study \u201cThe Nevados de Chill\u00e1n as a Fault-Controlled Geothermal System in Southern Chile: A Review of the Latest Advances Toward a New Conceptual Model,\u201d which addressed recent progress in understanding the Nevados de Chill\u00e1n geothermal system and the development of a new conceptual model for this important geothermal field in southern Chile.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201cPresenting the advances achieved at Nevados de Chill\u00e1n was an opportunity to share results that improve our understanding of one of Chile\u2019s most significant geothermal systems. These studies help reduce uncertainties in geothermal exploration and contribute to the development of increasingly robust conceptual models for this type of resource,\u201d the researcher explained Micaela Villarroel, a PhD student at CEGA, presented the study \u201cCalabozos Hydrothermal System: An Approach from Petrology and Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Alteration,\u201d focused on characterizing the Calabozos hydrothermal system using petrological and hydrothermal alteration geochemistry tools, providing new insights for geothermal resource exploration.\u00a0<\/strong>nuestra comprensi\u00f3n de uno de los sistemas geot\u00e9rmicos m\u00e1s relevantes de Chile. Estos estudios contribuyen a reducir\u00a0<\/strong>incertidumbres en la exploraci\u00f3n y permiten avanzar hacia modelos conceptuales cada vez m\u00e1s robustos para el desarrollo de este tipo de recursos<\/strong>\u201d, explic\u00f3 la investigadora.Micaela Villarroel, estudiante PhD del CEGA, en tanto, present\u00f3 el estudio \u201cCalabozos Hydrothermal System: An Approach from Petrology and Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Alteration\u201d, enfocado en la caracterizaci\u00f3n del sistema hidrotermal Calabozos mediante herramientas de petrolog\u00eda y geoqu\u00edmica de alteraci\u00f3n hidrotermal, aportando nuevos antecedentes para la exploraci\u00f3n de recursos geot\u00e9rmicos.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201cParticipating in WGC 2026 gave us the opportunity to showcase research that combines geology, petrology, and geochemistry to better understand how hydrothermal systems operate. It was also a highly valuable opportunity to learn from international experiences and discuss new methodologies applied to geothermal exploration,\u201d Micaela highlighted.\u00a0<\/strong>combinan geolog\u00eda, petrolog\u00eda y geo<\/strong>qu\u00edmica para co<\/strong>mprender mejor el funcionamiento de los sistemas hidrotermales. Adem\u00e1s, fue una instancia muy enriquecedora par<\/strong>a conocer experiencias internacionales y discutir nuevas metodolo<\/strong>g\u00edas aplicadas a la exploraci\u00f3n geot\u00e9rmica<\/strong>\u201d, destac\u00f3 Micaela.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

CEGA\u2019s participation also included a scientific poster presented by Catalina Cerna, an MSc student at CEGA, titled \u201cLaumontite-Yugawaralite-Wairakite Association as Evidence of Fossil Geothermal Systems in Cenozoic Formations from the Central Chilean Andes.\u201d The study analyzes mineral assemblages that provide evidence of ancient geothermal systems in the central Chilean Andes, contributing to a better understanding of hydrothermal evolution in volcanic environments.<\/p>\n

CEGA\u2019s presence at WGC 2026 provided an opportunity to showcase research conducted in Chile, strengthen ties with the international scientific community, and contribute to the global discussion on the role of geothermal energy in the energy transition and sustainable development.<\/p>\n

The World Geothermal Congress is the leading international event for the geothermal sector and is held every three years, bringing together researchers, companies, public agencies, and geothermal industry leaders from around the world. The next congress will be held in Kenya in 2029.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers from the Andean Geothermal Center of Excellence (CEGA) presented scientific advances in geothermal exploration, hydrothermal systems, and mineral resources associated with geothermal activity at the sector\u2019s leading international gathering.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20106"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20138,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20106\/revisions\/20138"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}