Hydrocarbon Micro-Seepage Detection by Altered Minerals Mapping from Airborne Hyper-Spectral Data in Xifeng Oilfield,China

Hydrocarbon micro-seepage can cause oxidation reduction reactions and produce altered minerals in surface sediments and soft. The typical altered minerals mapping by their diagnostic spectral features on hyper-spectral images is an important tool for the petroleum exploration industry. In this study, the airborne hyper-spectral data were used to investigate the altered minerals induced by hydrocarbon micro-seepages by spectral feature fitting （SFF） in the loess coverage area of Xifeng Oflfield. The results re- veal that the distribution region of the altered minerals induced by hydrocarbon micro-seepage is larger than the known oilfield exploration area. The potential hydrocarbon micro-seepage region was also re- vealed by the distribution of altered minerals besides the known hydrocarbon area. A fast index was pro- posed by the absorption depths of clay and carbonate minerals for assessment of hydrocarbon micro- seepage. And it gave much clearer boundaries for the hydrocarbon micro-seepage in the loess coverage area than those by the altered mineral mapping. In addition, some field samples were analyzed by X-ray diffrac- tion （XRD） and atomic absorption spectrophotometer to validate the results. Within the extents of hydro- carbon micro-seepage, there are lower contents of ferric iron and higher contents of carbonate minerals in these samples. Therefore, it is satisfactory to have the airborne hyper-spectral data to outline the extents of hydrocarbon micro-seepage for further hydrocarbon exploration in the loess coverage area.

Mapping the spatial distribution of fossil geothermal manifestations and assessment of geothermal potential of the Tangyin rift,Southeast of Taihang Mountain in China

The spatial prediction of geothermal sites along the southeast side of Taihang Mountain in the Tangyin rift is a critical goal in the development of renewable energy resources in cities such as Hebi in Henan province,which has significant potential for geothermal energy production due to the existence of deep faults and Cenozoic volcano.The study aimed to delineate areas with high geothermal manifestations for detailed geothermal exploration and well-test drilling.To define favorable zones for geothermal potentiality,multi-source datasets were chosen to generate evidence thematic layers that demonstrate the distribution of geothermal anomalies such as geologic maps,structural maps,Land Surface Temperature maps(LST),and hydrothermal mineral alterations maps.The remote sensing and Geographical Information System(GIS)approaches were integrated to map fossil geothermal manifestations and appraise the promising geothermal zones from Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer-Digital Elevation Model(ASTER-DEM)dataset using the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP),which is one of the Mult-criteria Decision Making methods.Results show LST values ranging from 22.6℃ to 45.4℃,with the highest values found along the faults and volcanic areas.The hydrothermal alteration minerals discriminated from band ratios of 4/2,6/5,and 6/7 for iron oxide,ferrous minerals,and clays reveal the presence of high amount of montmorillonite and illite minerals along the faults and volcanoes which are related to hot fluid circulation from subsurface.Structural analysis shows that the major structural trend follows the NNE Tangdong and Tangxi faults,with high density on the west side of the Tangxi fault where there is good exposure of outcrop but less fault density on the east side due to sedimentation in a low land which may conceal geological structures.Lastly,all the thematic layers of geothermal factors were reclassified,ranked,and integrated by the weight overlay logic model based on the influence of geothermal suitability to map potential areas for geothermal resources whereby 5 zones were obtained ranging from very poor to very good.The promising potential sites are mostly found along the highly deep structures of the major Tangxi fault crosscutting the permeable lithology of carbonate rocks and around the Hebi volcanoes.The distribution of hot springs and geothermal wells of the Hebi field were correlated and verified against the potential geothermal anomalies map.The overall integrated method proposes an advanced technique for designing the Tangyin rift’s exploration plan and development actions for geothermal resources utilization,which can be used for exploration of any unveiling geothermal potential sites.

Multiple and prolonged porphyry Cue Au mineralization and alteration events in the Halasu deposit, Chinese Altai, Xinjiang,northwestern China

The Halasu area is located in the southeastern margin of the Chinese Altai in Xinjiang, China. It is part of the Altaid orogenic collage where a number of porphyry-type Cue Moe Au deposits have been discovered in recent years. Geological mapping and drilling indicate the presence of various mineralized porphyritic intrusions in the Halasu Cue Au deposit, which is currently under exploration. Ue Pb dating of zircon crystals from four different mineralized porphyries reveals three significantly different ages of magmatic intrusion, i.e., ca. 372e382 Ma granodioritic porphyry and porphyritic granite, ca. 266 Ma quartz monzonitic porphyry, and ca. 216 Ma quartz dioritic porphyry. Ree Os dating of molybdenite from veinletdissemination ores in the granodioritic porphyry yields an age of mineralization of ca. 377 Ma, and Ar e Ar dating of K-feldspar from K-feldsparequartzechalcopyrite veins produces ages of ca. 269 and ca.198 Ma. The mineralization（and alteration） ages correspond broadly to the three episodes of magmatic intrusion, suggesting three overprinting porphyry mineralization events that are significantly separated in time. The first episode of porphyry intrusion and mineralization may be related to the magmatic arc being above a plate subduction zone, and the second was formed in a late-collisional environment during the closing of the Junggar Ocean, whereas the third episode of mineralization took place in the postcollisional stage. This case study suggests that in orogens where major porphyry deposits have been found in magmatic arc environments, the potential of discovering late- to post-collisional porphyry deposits cannot be neglected; conversely, in orogens where most porphyry deposits have late- to postcollisional ages, more attention should be paid to porphyries that were formed earlier in magmatic arc environments.

Alteration and Mineralization Types of the Laurani Porphyry Deposit in Central-Andean Metallogenic Belt, Bolivia

1 Introduction The Laurani porphyry deposit is located in the Altiplano,an extensive North-South trending structural basin that formed in Central-Andean metallogenic belt,Bolivia.The Altiplano poly-metallic province contains sub-volcanic ore

On the Genesis of the Super-large Baguamiao Gold Deposit in Fengxian County, Shaanxi Province

The Baguamiao gold deposit in Fengxian County, Shaanxi Province, is a recentlyexplored super-large gold ore deposit. A comprehensive and deep-going study has revealedthat it is a polygenetic deposit: early-stage mineralization due to shearing, middle-stagemineralization due to hydrothermal alteration, and late-stage mineralization due toweathering, leaching and concentration at shallow depths. Shearing played a dominant role inthe formation of gold orebodies.

Evolution of nC_(16)H_(34)-water-mineral systems in thermal capsules and geological implications for deeply-buried hydrocarbon reservoirs

Organic-inorganic interactions between hydrocarbons and most minerals in deeply buried reservoirs remain unclear.In this study,gold capsules and fused silica capillary capsules(FSCCs)with different com-binations of nC_(16)H_(34),water(distilled water,CaCl_(2) water)and minerals(quartz,feldspar,calcite,kaolinite,smectite,and illite)were heated at 340℃ for 3-10 d,to investigate the evolution and reaction pathways of the organic-inorganic interactions in different hot systems.After heating,minerals exhibited little alteration in the anhydrous systems.Mineral alterations,how-ever,occurred obviously in the hydrous systems.Different inorganic components affected nC_(16)H_(34) degra-dation differently.Overall,water promoted the free-radical thermal-cracking reaction and step oxidation reaction but suppressed the free-radical cross-linking reaction.The impact of CaCl_(2) water on the nC_(16)H_(34) degradation was weaker than the distilled water as high Ca^(2+)concentration suppressed the formation of free radicals.The presence of different waters also affects the impact of different minerals on nC_(16)H_(34) degradation,via its impact on mineral alterations.In the anhydrous nC_(16)H_(34)-mineral systems,calcite and clays catalyzed generation of low-molecular-weight(LMW)alkanes,particularly the clays.Quartz,feldspar,and calcite catalyzed generation of high-molecular-weight(HMW)alkanes and PAHs,whereas clays catalyzed the generation of LMW alkanes and mono-bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(M-BAHs).In the hydrous nC_(16)H_(34)-distilled water-mineral systems,all minerals but quartz promoted nC_(16)H_(34) degra-dation to generate more LMW alkanes,less HMW alkanes and PAHs.In the nC_(16)H_(34)-CaCl_(2) water-mineral systems,the promotion impact of minerals was weaker than that in the systems with distilled water.This study demonstrated the generation of different hydrocarbons with different fluorescence colors in the different nC_(16)H_(34)-water-mineral systems after heating for the same time,implying that fluorescence colors need to be interpreted carefully in investigation of hydrocarbon charging histories and oil origins in deeply buried reservoirs.Besides,the organic-inorganic interactions in different nC_(16)H_(34)-water-mineral systems proceeded in different pathways at different rates,which likely led to preservation of liquid hydrocarbons at different depth(temperature).Thus,quantitative investigations of the reaction kinetics in different hydrocarbon-water-rock systems are required to improve the prediction of hydrocar-bon evolution in deeply buried hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Extraction of Mineral Alteration Zone from ETM+ Data in Northwestern Yunnan,China

Alteration is regarded as significant information for mineral exploration. In this study, ETM＋ remote sensing data are used for recognizing and extracting alteration zones in northwestern Yunnan （云南）, China. The principal component analysis （PCA） of ETM＋ bands 1, 4, 5, and 7 was employed for OH alteration extractions. The PCA of ETM＋ bands 1, 3, 4, and 5 was used for extracting Fe^2＋ （Fe^3＋） alterations. Interfering factors, such as vegetation, snow, and shadows, were masked. Alteration components were defined in the principal components （PCs） by the contributions of their diagnostic spectral bands. The zones of alteration identified from remote sensing were analyzed in detail along with geological surveys and field verification. The results show that the OH^- alteration is a main indicator of K-feldspar, phyllic, and prophilized alterations. These alterations are closely related to porphyry copper deposits. The Fe^2＋ （Fe^3＋） alteration indicates pyritization, which is mainly related to hydrothermal or skarn type polymetallic deposits.

Geology and mineralization of the Tiegelongnan supergiant porphyry-epithermal Cu(Au, Ag) deposit(10 Mt) in western Tibet, China: A review

The Tiegelongnan Cu(Au,Ag)deposit in central Tibet contains more than 10 Mt of copper ranking 29 th in the world.It is characterized by typical porphyry-epithermal alteration and mineralization.In order to improve the understanding of porphyry-epithermal copper deposit in Tibet,new zircon U-Pb age and sulfur isotope data along with published data in the Tiegelongnan are presented to investigate the formation and preservation mechanism.Ore-related intrusive rocks in the Tiegelongnan including Early Cretaceous(about 120 Ma)granodiorite porphyry and diorite porphyry are closely related to the northward subduction of Bangongco-Nujiang ocean.Sulfur mainly comes from deep magma,and ore-forming fluid is affected by both magmatic and meteoric water.The metallogenic setting of Tiegelongnan is consistent with those of Andean porphyry copper deposits in South America.The cover of the Meiriqiecuo Formation volcanic rocks,Lhasa-Qiangtang collision and India-Eurasian collision have significance in the preservation and uplift of the deposit.The formation,preservation and discovery of Tiegelongnan play an important role in exploration of ancient porphyry-epithermal deposits in Tibet.

Metallogenic Processes:Evidencesfrom Zoning Patterns of Mineralization and alteration and fluid inclusion geochemistryin the Lehong Zn-Pb Deposit in Northeastern Yunnan, China

1 Introduction The large clusters of Zn-Pb deposits in northeastern Yunnan,located in the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block,are an important part of the Sichuan-YunnanGuizhou Pb-Zn Poly-metallic Metallogenic Triangle Area