Genesis Mechanism and Resource Evaluation of Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Geothermal Fields in Wenquan County, Xinjiang

Abstract The Wenquan County area in Xinjiang has a large number of hot springs and rich geothermal resources, with high potential for geothermal resource development and utilization. At present, systematic research on the formation mechanism and resource potential of geothermal fields in this area is relatively weak, which has to some extent restricted the comprehensive development and utilization of geothermal resources in Wenquan County. This paper selects Wenquan County as the research area. Based on the collection and analysis of geophysical, geochemical, remote sensing interpretation, and well logging data, the scope of geothermal anomaly areas and geothermal fields in the research area is comprehensively determined, and the formation mechanism of geothermal fields is revealed. The geothermal resources in the research area are evaluated using the surface heat flow method and the thermal storage method. The results show that: (1) The Wenquan County geothermal field is located in the valley between Alatao Mountain and Biezhentao Mountain. It is roughly irregular in shape and mainly consists of low-temperature convection-type strip geothermal reservoirs with a longitudinal buried depth of about 3000 m; (2) The heat in geothermal fields mainly comes from the heat flow of lava in the upper mantle. Groundwater in the region is heated by deep circulation and forms geothermal fluids, which are transported upward through channels formed by fault structures, continuously transferring heat from the lower layers to the surface to form geothermal fields; (3) The geothermal field has a geothermal reservoir capacity of 2.37×109 km3 and geothermal resources of 6.52×1018 J, equivalent to 2.23×108 t of standard coal. This study basically clarified the geothermal formation model and resource rating of Wenquan County and provided an important basis for the development and utilization of geothermal resources in the study area.