Geothermal resources distribution

High-temperature geothermal resources are mainly concentrated in the Taiwan Province, where the Pacific Rim passes through the tropics, the Mediterranean-Himalayan tropics pass through southern Tibet, and Yunnan and western Sichuan. Hot springs are found throughout the country, and most of them are low-temperature geothermal resources, which are mainly distributed in Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Shandong, and Liaoning provinces.

The 4 million km2 sedimentary basin in China is also rich in geothermal resources, but the difference is very obvious. In addition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the geothermal gradient of the basin generally decreases from east to west. The eastern Songliao Plain, North China Basin, and Lower Liaohe Basin have higher geothermal gradients, generally 2.5-6°C/hm; the central Sichuan Basin is generally 1.7-2.5°C/hm; and the Qaidam Basin in the west. And the Tarim Basin is only 1.5-2°C/hm.

At present, China has discovered more than 4,000 hot water spots (including hot springs, drill holes and hot water in pits) with temperatures above 25°C, which are widely distributed. The number of hot springs in Tibet, Yunnan, Taiwan, Guangdong, and Fujian accounted for more than 1/2 of the total number of hot springs in the country; followed by Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan provinces. The number of hot springs in each province is More than 50 places.