Granite thermal reservoirs in Lingshui area of Hainan Island and their significance to geothermal resources, China

Hainan Island located at the southernmost tip of the continental crust of the South China Plate, has high terrestrial heat-flow values, widely-distributed hot springs, and rich geothermal resources. Intensified researches on the origin and potentials of geothermal resources can promote Hainan Island's development into a clean energy island. To determine the geological conditions for the formation of geothermal resources in southern Hainan Island, we collected core samples of granites from the Baocheng batholith in southern Hainan Island and conducted systematic analysis in respect of petrology, geochronology, geochemistry, and petrophysical property. The results of this study are as follows. The Baocheng batholith in the southern Hainan Island has a crystallization age of 98.42 ± 0.56 Ma, making it the product of magmatism in the early stage of the Late Cretaceous. It mainly consists of high-K calc-alkaline granites, which were intruded by intermediate-to-mafic veins. The Baocheng batholith has a high radioactive heat generation rate of 2.712–6.843 μW/m3, with an average of 3.846 μW/m3, a radioactive heat-flow value of 30.768 mW/m2 and a heat-flow contribution rate of 38.95%–43.95%. As shown by the results of their thermophysical property analysis, the granites have high thermal conductivity and can serve as high-quality geothermal reservoirs. In combination with previous geological and geophysical data, the geothermal model of the Lingshui area was established in this study. The deep structure indicates the presence of high-conductivity and low-resistivity layers in the basement of the Baocheng batholith. It can be inferred thereby that asthenospheric upwelling may occur and that there exist two magma vents at depth in the batholith. Therefore, magmatic heat at depth and granites with high radioactive heat generation rate serve as the main heat sources in the Lingshui area.