Radioactive Heat Production and Terrestrial Heat Flow in the Xiong’an Area, North China

Yue Cui,Sasa Guo,Boning Tang,Nansheng Qiu,Chuanqing Zhu

doi:10.3390/en12244608

Abstract

Herein, integrated heat production analysis in the Xiong’an area was conducted by measuring uranium, thorium, and potassium in different rock types to clarify crust heat flow contribution, simulate the conductive terrestrial heat flow, and illustrate heat source mechanisms of Xiong’an area geothermal resources. The study area was divided into three lithosphere structure types from west to east, and heat production corresponded to layer thickness and heat production with the central area having thicker crust and lower heat production than the eastern and western areas. Crustal heat production, mantle heat flow, and crust–mantle heat flow ratio reveal a ‘cold crust-hot mantle’ in the Xiong’an area.

Highlights

Energy released by the radioactive decay of elements—such as uranium (U), thorium (Th), and potassium (K)—in Earth’s interior is the main source of heat production
Radioactive heat production is mainly determined through direct measurements of heat-producing elements (HPEs) concentrations
The contribution of radioactive heat production to surface heat flow in some major tectonic units of China was concluded, and the results show that the contribution of crustal heat production gradually increases from east to west [12,13,14,15]

Summary

Introduction

Energy released by the radioactive decay of elements—such as uranium (U), thorium (Th), and potassium (K)—in Earth’s interior is the main source of heat production. Ages, and metamorphic degrees as well as different locations have significant differences in radioactive heat-producing elements (HPEs) [1,2,3]. Radioactive heat production is mainly determined through direct measurements of HPE concentrations K) in crustal rock samples, whereas in areas lacking drilled wells, heat production is mainly estimated through gamma-ray logging or seismic wave velocity measurements [5]. Measuring radioactive elements and rock density is the most precise and commonly used approach for determining heat production in rocks. Radioactive HPE are mainly quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) [6] and gamma-ray spectrometry [7,8,9,10]

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion