The applicability of traditional chemical geothermometers

Jiexiang LI, Yadong XU, Wenjing LIN

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Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2024, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (6) : 145-157. DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2024.7.15

The applicability of traditional chemical geothermometers

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Abstract

Geothermometers are used to estimate the reservoir temperatures in hydrothermal systems. To clarify the limitations and validity of traditional chemical geothermometers we conduct a comprehensive review in this study. We found that certain chemical geothermometer types (Na-Li, Li-Mg, Ca-Mg, SO4-F) were not widely usable, as hydrochemical equilibrium systems in some areas were influenced by the regional geological conditions. Meanwhile, the use of Na-K-Ca type(β=1/3) was constrained by a variety of hydrochemical factors, thus it should be used with caution in low-medium-temperature geothermal systems. The types more suitable for estimating the reservoir temperatures were Na-K, K-Mg, and SiO2. The Na-K type gave relatively accurate estimates for the high-temperature reservoirs (>200 ℃) where extensive water-rock reactions occurred; while the K-Mg and SiO2 types were more suitable for the low-medium-temperature reservoirs. In sedimentary geothermal systems, chemical geothermometers were not recommended for estimating the equilibrium temperature of geothermal waters directly. Besides, determining the occurrence state and the hydrothermal equilibrium status of a geothermal reservoir was prerequisite for selecting chemical geothermometers; yet, even within a suitable application range, the measurement results should be compared and validated against the calculation results. In high-temperature geothermal systems the accuracy of chemical geothermometers could be verified by the mixing processes; in low-medium-temperature systems the measurement uncertainty increased due to lack of extensive water-rock reactions, thus validation by various methods became even more important. Results from this study can be used to guide the selection of chemical geothermometers.

Key words

hydrothermal geothermal systems / hydrochemistry / geothermometers / water-rock reaction / equilibrium

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Jiexiang LI , Yadong XU , Wenjing LIN. The applicability of traditional chemical geothermometers. Earth Science Frontiers. 2024, 31(6): 145-157 https://doi.org/10.13745/j.esf.sf.2024.7.15

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