The Yangbajing Geothermal Field and the Yangyi Geothermal Field: Two Representative Fields in Tibet, China

Abstract

In recent several decades, there has been growing geothermal energy utilization in the world. As one of the most important countries considered high in potential for geothermal development, China is in possession of abundant high-temperature geothermal resources, most of which are distributed in Tibet Autonomous Region and western Yunnan Province. In Tibet, the Yangbajing and Yangyi geothermal fields are two representative fields with magmatic chambers as heat sources, and both of them are located in the Yangbajing-Dangxiong basin, a Cenozoic rift basin that belongs to the Dangxiong-Yangbajing-Duoqing active tectonic belt. In this paper, the geological evolution process of the Yangbajing-Dangxiong basin was summarized, based on which the general situation and the geothermal geology of the Yangbajing and Yangyi geothermal fields were introduced. Moreover, surface water pollution induced by geothermal wastewater drainage at Yangbajing and geothermal spring discharge at Yangyi was also discussed briefly. A great deal of detailed work, such as decontamination before geothermal wastewater drainage, should therefore be done as one of the parts in the geothermal water resource management schemes at Yangbajing and Yangyi to prevent their surface water environment from further deterioration.