干热岩是指地下高温但由于低孔隙度和渗透率而缺少流体的岩石（体），储存于干热岩中的热量需要通过人工压裂形成增强地热系统（EGS）才能得以开采，赋存于干热岩中在当前技术经济条件下可以开采的地热能被称为干热岩型地热资源，它是人类未来的重要替代新能源之一.干热岩的研究始于20世纪70年代，经过近50年的不断发展，干热岩在理论和实践两方面都有了长足发展，美国、日本、法国、德国、澳大利亚等发达国家相继投入巨资进行干热岩勘查、评价和开发实验，并且初步形成了商业开发的成功范例.实践表明，干热岩地热资源是深层地热能的一部分，往往与高温水热系统共热源且存在共生关系，但其地质条件复杂，开采难度较大，应倡导“深层地热能”和“广义EGS”概念，即按照EGS技术着眼深层水热型和干热岩型地热能整体开发.为了克服诱发地震等环境安全问题，干热岩压裂造储技术研发方向正在从“刚性造储”向“柔性造储”发展.近几年来，我国分别在青海、西藏、四川、福建、广东、湖南、黑龙江、海南等高热流区域进行了干热岩地质勘查，并在青海共和、山东利津、广东惠州、四川康定、冀东马头营和琼北等地相继开展了干热岩初步钻探，但仅在青海共和的干热岩勘探与开发实验中取得突破.综合考虑全球高温地热带分布和中国陆区板块构造背景、现今大地热流分布格局、岩石圈热结构、Moho面深度及壳内热源、新生代火山活动、温泉分布、深大断裂分布与活动性，以及现有干热岩勘查结果，认为当前中国陆区最具前景的干热岩勘探靶区为东北新生代火山活动区、海南岛及雷州半岛和滇藏川地区——青藏高原东构造结.此外，高热背景条件下的中厚层碳酸盐岩应作为深层地热能开采的重点目标储层.

Hot dry rock (HDR) is defined by the rock underground with high temperature but lack of fluid due to low porosity and permeability. The heat stored in HDR needs to be artificially fractured to form an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) to be exploited. The geothermal energy that can be exploited in HDR under the current technical and economic conditions is called HDR geothermal resources, which is regarded as one of the important alternative new energy sources for human beings in the future. The research on HDR began in the 1970s. After nearly 50 years of continuous development, great progress in both theory and practice has been made. Developed countries such as the United States, Japan, France, Germany, and Australia have successively invested heavily in HDR exploration, evaluation and development experiments. Moreover, some successful commercial development examples of HDR have been set up. The practices show that HDR geothermal resources are a part of deep geothermal energy, which means they often co-heat and are symbiotic with high temperature hydrothermal system. However, it is more difficult to exploit HDR than the hydrothermal system due to more complex geological conditions. Therefore, “deep geothermal energy” and “generalized EGS” concept should be advocated. According to EGS technology, we should focus on the overall development of deep hydrothermal and HDR geothermal energy. Moreover, it is developing from “rigid reservoir stimulation” to “soft reservoir stimulation” in order to overcome the environmental safety problems such as induced earthquakes. In recent years, China has carried out geological exploration on HDR in Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Heilongjiang, Hainan and other areas with high heat flow. And then, preliminary drillings of HDR in Gonghe, Lijin, Huizhou, Kangding, Matouyin and northern Hainan have been implemented. Unfortunately, the breakthrough has only been made in the exploration and development experiments of HDR in Gonghe basin. Considering the distribution of global high-temperature geothermal zones, plate tectonic setting in Chinese continent, the current distribution pattern of terrestrial heat flow, lithospheric thermal structure, Moho depth and heat source in crust, Cenozoic volcanic activity, the distribution of hot springs, the distribution and active faults, and the existing HDR exploration results, the most promising HDR exploration target areas in Chinese continent are delineated, which include the Cenozoic volcanic activity area in Northeast China, Hainan Island-Leizhou Peninsula and the Yunnan-Tibet-Sichuan area (eastern Tibetan Plateau tectonic junction). In addition, medium and thick carbonate rocks with high thermal background should be the key target for deep geothermal energy exploitation.