Hydrothermal Alteration Aspects of High Heat Producing Granites in Australia & Europe

Abstract

In order to fully understand the relatively unstudied high heat producing granites (HHPG) of the Australian continent, this project has studied the European analogues of Cornwall, (United Kingdom), Soultz-sous-Forêts (France) and the Erzgebirge (Germany). HHPGs are characterised by their anomalous radiogenic element (U, Th and K) contents (Table 1), which is higher than average continental crust values. The Big Lake Suite in the Cooper Basin is the most investigated Australian enhanced geothermal system (EGS); Gatehouse et al., 1995). Alteration mineralogy is a widely used feature to explore for potential ore deposits; however, this method has not yet been deployed for identifying and characterising EGS. In the current project, we are investigating alteration mineralogy of HHPG, with particular emphasis on trace element and stable isotope geochemistry. If successful, this can offer an additional approach to geothermal exploration and resource characterisation.