Geothermal Gradient in the Ordos Basin

Abstract

The Ordos Basin is a large-scale sedimentary basin, locating in the northwestern China. Three hydrogeological units are present in the basin, i.e. karst groundwater area in the margin of the basin, the Cretaceous Artesian Basin in the middle and the loess covering area in the west. The paper, firstly, presents the geologic and hydrogeological conditions, which provides the basic understanding of the basin. Then the paper shifts to the major part, the distribution of the geothermal gradient of the basin. In the karst groundwater area, features on geothermal gradient are discussed, mainly for the east and south margin, where geothermal resources are abundant. In the Cretaceous artesian basin, features on geothermal gradient are presented for different zones.