Geofluids:Developments in Microthermometry,Spectroscopy,Thermodynamics and Stable Isotopes

Fluid （and melt） inclusion studies have shown a marked devel- opment in the last decades, as indicated by the increasing number of papers and as covered under major themes in specialized meetings （e.g. ECROFI in Europe, PACROFI in America, ACROFI in Asia）. However, a basic text book is lacking in current literature, available information being either somewhat outdated （e,g. Roedder, 1984） or scattered in multi-author ＂short course＂, mainly organized by the Mineralogical Societies of Canada, America or Europe. A result is that basic features of fluid inclusion studies, notably its key technique, microthermometry, and recently supplemented by micro Raman of infrared spectroscopy, is rarely taught in most universities, leaving the student alone to discover a field of study which has grown to the dimensions of a major science.

Earthquake geochemical scientific expedition and research

Large earthquakes can cause both casualties and economic losses, but they also provide invaluable opportunities for earthquake scientific research. Geofluids, due to their wide distribution, sensitive response to underground conditions, and ease of observation, are widely applied in field investigations after earthquakes. Analyzing the origin of fluids, energy transfer processes, temperature/pressure conditions, and the spatial-temporal evolution of geofluids can provide valuable information concerning the mechanism of earthquake precursor anomalies, shortterm prediction methods, identification of the seismogenic faults, determination of earthquake risk, and the environmental impact of post-earthquake fluids. This article details post-earthquake scientific expeditions and research on fluid geochemistry in China and abroad, aimed at providing ideas and guidance for future scientific expedition work and geochemistry-related earthquake studies.

Metallogenic Districts of Yangtze Cratonic Rim at the Edge of Chaos

Combining the science of complexity with ore geology, the author puts forward a new theory of metallogenesis: “complexity and self organized criticality of metallogenic dynamic systems”, and three fundamental theories are raised for it. The ore genesis and regularity of ore formation of four metallogenic districts around the Yangtze craton in China are studied with this theory. It is found that “metallogenic districts of Yangtze cratonic rim are all at the edge of chaos”. This proposition is expounded by four determinative criteria of the edge of chaos for metallogenic districts of Yangtze cratonic rim.

Mixing processes and patterns of fluids in alkane-CO_(2)-water systems under high temperature and high pressure——Microscopic visual physical thermal simulations and molecular dynamics simulations

Various types of geofluids exist in deep and ultra-deep layers in petroliferous basins.The geofluids are much more active under high-temperature and high-pressure(HTHP)conditions,but their properties are unclear.We simulated the mixing of different fluids in CH_(4)/C_(3)H_(8)/C_(6)H_(14)/C_(8)H_(18)-water systems and C_(6)H_(14)/C_(8)H_(18)-CO_(2)-H_(2)O systems at temperatures of 25℃ to 425℃ and pressures of 5 MPa to 105 MPa,using an in-situ micron quartz capillary tube thermal simulation system and molecular dynamics numerical simulation software.The mixing processes,patterns,and mechanisms of various fluids were analyzed at microscale under increasing temperature and pressure conditions.The results show that the miscibility of fluids in the different alkane-H_(2)O and alkane-CO_(2)-H_(2)O systems is not instantaneous,but the miscibility degree between different fluid phases increases as the temperature and pressure rise during the experiments.The physical thermal experiments(PTEs)show that the mixing process can be divided into three stages:initial miscibility,segmented dynamic miscibility,and complete miscibility.The molecular dynamics numerical simulations(MDNSs)indicate that the mixing process of fluids in the alkane-H_(2)O and alkane CO_(2)-H_(2)O systems can be divided into seven and eight stages,respectively.The carbon number affects the miscibility of alkanes and water,and the temperature and pressure required to reach the same miscibility stage with water increase with the carbon number(C_(3)H_(8),C_(6)H_(14),CH_(4),C_(8)H_(18)).CO_(2) has a critical bridge role in the miscibility of alkanes and water,and its presence significantly reduces the temperatures required to reach the initial,dynamic,and complete miscibility of alkanes and water.The results are of great significance for analyzing and understanding the miscibility of geofluids in deep and ultra-deep HTHP systems.

Geothermal and fluid flowing simulation of ore-forming antimony deposits in Xikuangshan

The Xikuangshan Antimony Deposit located in the Mid-Hunan Basin, China, is the larg- est antimony deposit in the world. Based on the hydrogeological and geochemical data collected from four sections, Xikuangshan-Dajienao (AO), Xikuangshan-Dashengshan (BO), Xikuang- shan-Longshan (CO) and Dafengshan (DO) in the Basin, an advanced metallogenic model related to deep-cyclic meteoric water of Xikuangshan Antimony Deposit is put forward in this paper using a model of heat-gravity-driving fluid flow transportation. The simulation results show that the ore-forming fluid of the deposit mainly comes from the Dashengshan and Longshan areas where BO and CO sections are located if the overall basin keeps a constant atmospheric precipitation and infiltration rate during mineralization, and that the average transportation speed of the ore-forming fluids is about 0.2―0.4 m/a.