Geothermal Systems in the Himalayas
- Key words
- India; Himalayan geothermal belt; Himalayan granites; high heat generating granites; Puga geothermal site; Leh
- Location
- Puga Valley, India; Ladakh, India
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 2011
- Session
- Geological surveys; Granite
- Language
- English
Abstract
The Himalayan Geothermal Belt extends to a length of about 1500 km from the NW Himalayas to the north-eastern part of India and runs parallel to the Main Boundary Thrust. This belt hosts more than 100 thermal springs with issuing temperatures varying from 57 to 98 °C. The geothermal systems along the Himalayan Geothermal Belt (HGB) is controlled by the younger granite intrusives which span in age from 1 Ma to 21 Ma. These are the leucogranites that are generated within the crust due to shear heating coupled with radiogenic heat from the radioactive decay of U, Th and K. The chemical constituents in the thermal waters support the involvement of the leucogranites in controlling the circulation of the thermal fluids and also hosting the geothermal reservoirs.
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