December 01, 2025
GSA Today Features Carleton College's Geothermal Study
RMF Engineering’s Martha Larson contributes to the October 2025 GSA Today article which examines the study of long-term geothermal system performance at Carleton College.
Carleton College’s district-scale geothermal system is offering valuable insights into how design and subsurface conditions influence long-term performance. Recently featured in the Geological Society of America’s GSA Today, the study analyzes several years of operational and temperature data from the campus borefields, revealing how groundwater flow and targeted borehole construction techniques—such as selective pea gravel placement—can enhance thermal exchange efficiency.
RMF’s Martha Larson contributed to this collaborative research, which underscores the importance of monitoring and data-informed decision-making for institutions pursuing geothermal solutions as part of broader decarbonization and energy resilience strategies. The findings provide actionable guidance for campuses and districts planning or optimizing ground-source heat pump systems.
Read the full article here: GSA Today, Volume 35, Issue 10: “Long-Term Monitoring of a Campus-Scale Geothermal Heat Pump System Using Distributed Temperature Sensing.”
Contributors:
Chloe Fandel, Department of Geology, Carleton College
Daniel Maxbauer, Department of Geology, Carleton College
Sarah Titus, Department of Geology, Carleton College
Kelton Barr, Kelton Barr Consulting LLC
Jonathan Cooper, Department of Geology, Carleton College
Bruce Duffy, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Carleton College
Martha Larson, RMF Engineering
Mary Savina, Department of Geology, Carleton College
Bob Tipping, Minnesota Department of Health