Trace Element Geochemistry of Near-Surface Quartz Deposits as an Exploration Tool for Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Systems

Abstract

Hydrothermal surface sinter deposits, near-surface quartz veins and felsic volcanic rocks from the Twin Hills area in the Late Devonian to early Carboniferous Drummond Basin, eastern Australia, are significantly enriched in mobile incompatible elements, including the heat producing elements (e.g., Cs, Th, Rb, Li). The heat anomaly observed in the northern Drummond Basin is likely to be related to heat producing granite intrusions, which may represent the counterpart of the widespread heat-producing granites of the Cooper Basin. Results of this pilot study suggest that the high-precision trace element geochemical analysis of surface quartz-rich deposits, soils, and rock chips can be used effectively as an exploration tool to identify and locate not only epithermal ore deposits but also high potential geothermal targets.