Supplementary information to 'Radiogenic heat production of crystalline rocks in the Gonghe Basin Complex (Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau, China)'

Weinert, Sebastian; Bär, Kristian; Scheuvens, Dirk; Sass, Ingo

Open Access

Supplementary information to 'Radiogenic heat production of crystalline rocks in the Gonghe Basin Complex (Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau, China)'

Files

SupData_RadiogenicHeatProductionFromReferences.xlsx (Rediogenic heat production from literature references) (226.46 KB)

SupData_MineralCompositionAndSamplingPoints.xlsx (Mineral compositions and sampling points) (19.63 KB)

SupData_XRFAnalysis.xlsx (XRF analysis results) (15.97 KB)

Date

2020-07-20

Type

Dataset

Authors

Weinert, Sebastian

Bär, Kristian
Scheuvens, Dirk
Sass, Ingo

Description

The Gonghe Basin Complex (GBC), is a pull-apart basin located in the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau (Qinghai, China) displaying various geothermal features such as elevated geothermal gradients and hot springs, whose origin has not been conclusively determined so far. The adjacent mountain ranges and the basement are comprised of granitoidic rock, which, at sufficient depth and temperature, are suitable for deep enhanced geothermal systems. This study aims to investigate if the radiogenic heat production of these plutonic rocks is the heat source for the surface geothermal features. Therefore, 30 newly sampled Triassic, Silurian, Ordovician and Devonian intrusive rocks were extracted from outcrops in the surroundings and within the GBC, of which one sample was retrieved from exploration well DR2 at c. 1800 m. Samples were geochemically discriminated using the results of XRF measurements and radiogenic heat productions were subsequently calculated. Additionally, analysis of 341 intrusive, 105 extrusive, 155 sedimentary and 76 metamorphic rocks of the Qinling-Qilianshan-Kunlunshan were comprised from literature and compared to the data sampled in the GBC. As evidenced in the presented research, the radiogenic heat production measured in the GBC are within the highest calculated for the Qinling-Qilianshan-Kunlunshan. Although, radiogenic heat production rates in the GBC only range from < 1 µW m^-3 in tonalites to > 5 µW m^-3 in two-mica granites and syenogranites. Nonetheless, average heat productions analyzed do not evidence large intrusions of HHP (high heat producing) granitoids as source of the geothermal features in the GBC pull-apart basin.