Characteristics of Mineral Fluids and Geothermal Reservoir in Changbai Mountain, Northeast of China

Abstract

Changbai Mountain in China has been explored as a potential area for enriching mineral fluids including thermal springs and cold springs mineral water. The hydrogeochemical characteristics and reservoir temperatures of the nine thermal springs and fifteen cold springs were evaluated by hydrogeochemical analysis, statistical analysis and geothermometry analysis. The results showed that the concentrations of ions of thermal springs were higher than those of cold springs. \({\text{HCO}}_{3}^{ - }\) and Na⁺ were the most abundant anion and cation in the thermal springs, and hydrochemical type was Na–HCO₃. While the cold springs were enriched in Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, \({\text{HCO}}_{3}^{ - }\) and \({\text{SO}}_{4}^{{2 - }}\), and hydrochemical types were Ca · Mg–HCO₃ · SO₄, Ca–HCO₃, Ca · Mg · Na–HCO₃ and Ca · Mg · Na–SO₄ · HCO₃. The age of thermal springs were larger than 62 years. Olivine and pyroxene were under-saturated for all thermal springs; and olivine, pyroxene, dolomite and fluorite were under-saturated for all cold springs. All the thermal and cold springs samples can be divided into three groups by cluster test, and all the thermal spring samples fell into the part of immature waters, the mixing ration of cold and hot water ranged 12.70 to 36.95%. The reservoir temperatures of WQ1 to WQ9 were between 96.88 and 174.28°C using silica geothermometry.