All of the Above, All of the Below: Geothermal Plays for Arizona and Beyond

Arizona Geological Society

2026 Speaker Series

Tuesday, 3 November 2026 | 5:30 - 8:00 PM

Location:  Hexagon Mining Division Office

40 East Congress Street, Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701

Parking: On the street or parking garage (Old Pueblo Parking)

Social Hour - Sandwiches from Beyond Bread (5:30-6:20 PM MST), Presentation (6:25 PM MST)

AGS and SEG Publications will be available

for sale at the meeting.

Will need cash or check (no credit cards)

For those planning to attend the event, please register by 6:00 PM on Sunday,  November 1, 2026.  Please register early so we have an accurate number of attendees to order the right amount of food.

The Arizona Geological Society thanks Ivanhoe Electric for sponsoring our students' dinners at our monthly meetings and bi-annual field trips.

The Arizona Geological Society thanks Hexagon

for generously providing the venue and drinks

All of the Above, All of the Below:  Geothermal Plays for Arizona and Beyond

Patrick Walsh, CEO, Zanskar

Abstract:  Most geothermal resources in the western United States remain hidden, with no hot springs or fumaroles at the surface. Many occur in geologic settings the industry has barely explored. Finding them requires new exploration plays and practical ways to test them. This presentation examines concepts ranging from deep carbonates and foreland-basin interflow contacts to structurally controlled amagmatic systems. For each, it considers the geologic rationale, key uncertainties, and cost-effective exploration methods.

Finding a resource is the first challenge; the next is determining how to extract and use its energy. U.S. geothermal development has focused on utility-scale electricity generation, with a few examples of district heating. Arizona has yet to develop either at scale. Direct industrial uses of geothermal energy remain extremely limited in the United States, creating a significant opportunity to explore.

Arizona’s Basin and Range extension, volcanic provinces, and deep sedimentary basins offer settings to test a range of geothermal plays and applications. Zanskar’s partnership with Freeport-McMoRan is exploring geothermal’s potential to support mining operations and could demonstrate industrial-scale use in Arizona.

Finally, the presentation draws lessons from the nearby Lightning Dock Geothermal Field in southwestern New Mexico, a blind system first discovered accidentally by local ranchers. Together, these examples point to a promising opportunity for geothermal exploration in Arizona.

Bio:  Patrick Walsh is a veteran geothermal operations leader with nearly two decades of experience scaling resource, drilling, and power generation teams. He joined Zanskar in January 2025 as Chief Operating Officer, where he oversees Exploration, Field Operations, Drilling, and Power Plant Operations.

Patrick spent 14 years at Ormat Technologies, where he built and led Exploration, Resource, and Drilling teams that drove a threefold increase in generation capacity—achieved largely through organic growth, evenly split between greenfield projects and expansions. He also helped transform Ormat’s drilling culture into an industry benchmark for safety. Following Ormat, Patrick led Resource and Operations at Cyrq Energy for three years, where he delivered gains in total generation, EBITDA, and plant availability.

At Zanskar, Patrick is focused on empowering employees, fostering shared ownership of safety, and advancing geothermal resource development and operations. He is passionate about continuous improvement, cultivating future leaders, and accelerating the transition to renewable energy.

Hexagon Mining Division Office - 40 East Congress Street,

Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701