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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Solid Earth Geophysics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.1437850

Exploring Geothermal Resources with CSAMT and Microtremor Method: A Case Study in Tangquan of Jiangsu Province, China

Provisionally accepted
Hao Xu Hao Xu 1*Xiaodong Yang Xiaodong Yang 1*Xiangyang Cai Xiangyang Cai 2*Ziqiao Xu Ziqiao Xu 2*Shengzhu Liao Shengzhu Liao 2*Xiaoping Wu Xiaoping Wu 1*
  • 1 University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
  • 2 Anhui Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Prospecting Technology, Heifei, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The development of geothermal energy has received extensive attention because of global energy scarcity and environmental pollution. The Tangquan area is in the north of the Yangtze fold belt, and the lack of magmatic rock development has resulted in a low-temperature type of geothermal reservoir. There are sporadic hot springs and cold springs exposed in the study area, but the lack of detailed exploration data, uncertain deep geological structure, and unknown geothermal reservoir formation mechanism seriously restrict the exploration and development of geothermal resources in the area. Filling underground faults with water can significantly reduce electrical resistivity, while traps filled with warm water can cause a decrease in S-wave velocity. Thus, a new integrated geophysical method includes the controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) and microtremor is applied for geothermal exploration in the region. The combination of CSAMT and microtremor methods can determine thermal-controlled and water-conducting structures more effectively and locate geothermal storage more accurately. With geophysical and geological data, the source, channel, storage, and cover of regional geothermal reservoir formation are analyzed. That is, the regional NE-and NW-trending faults are explained as thermal-controlled and water-conducted structures, respectively. The deep Sinian Dengying Formation supplies a heat-and water-bearing space. It is found that the tectonic intersection area, especially the tensional fault zone, is closely related to the existence of geothermal reservoirs, which is well verified by later drilling results. A geothermal reservoir model is finally established to comprehensively understand the distribution of geothermal energy in the region.

    Keywords: geothermal resource1, microtremor2, CSAMT3, borehole verification4, geothermal reservoir model5, geothermal formation mechanism6

    Received: 24 May 2024; Accepted: 07 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xu, Yang, Cai, Xu, Liao and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hao Xu, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
    Xiaodong Yang, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
    Xiangyang Cai, Anhui Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Prospecting Technology, Heifei, China
    Ziqiao Xu, Anhui Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Prospecting Technology, Heifei, China
    Shengzhu Liao, Anhui Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Prospecting Technology, Heifei, China
    Xiaoping Wu, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

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