The Stripa test site has been excavated in granitic rock between 338 m and 360 m below the ground surface, and is located under the north limb of an ENE-plunging synclinal structure. The granitic rocks, in the areas mapped, are of Archean age and are dominated by a reddish, medium-grained, massive monzogranite that shows varying degrees of deformation. The granitic rocks have been intruded by diabase (dolerite) and pegmatite dikes. Surface and subsurface mapping shows that the Stripa granite is highly fractured and that there are at least four joint sets in the area of the test excavations. In addition to the joints, the rock mass contains fissures, fracture zones, and small-scale shear zones, representing the complete spectrum of the fracture family. Most of the fractures are lined with chlorite, occasionally with calcite. Many of the small-scale shear fractures are filled or coated with epidote. Offsets of pegmatite dikes formed by these fractures are usually limited to one to two meters. Water seepage is observed only as drops from fractures or moist fracture surfaces. It was found that reconstruction of the local three-dimensional fracture system is the heater-experiment sites was difficult, and in some cases subjective. Such reconstruction is a prerequisite to accurate interpretation of thermal and mechanical data from such sites.