Geochemical and isotopic characteristics of fluids in the Niutuozhen geothermal field,North China

Niutuozhen geothermal field is located in the Jizhong graben, belonging to the northern part of Bohai Bay Basin in North China. Chemical and isotopic analyses were carried out on 14 samples of the geothermal fluids discharged from Neogene Minghuazhen (Nm), Guantao (Ng), and Jixianian Wumishan (Jxw) formations. The δ²H and δ¹⁸O in water, δ¹³C in CH₄, δ¹³C in CO₂, and ³He/⁴He ratio in the gases were analyzed in combination with chemical analyses on the fluids in the Niutuozhen geothermal field. The chemical and isotopic compositions indicate a meteoric origin of the thermal waters. The reservoir temperatures estimated by chemical geothermometry are in the range between 60 and 108 °C. The results show that the gases are made up mainly by N₂ (18.20–97.42 vol%), CH₄ (0.02–60.95 vol%), and CO₂ (0.17–25.14 vol%), with relatively high He composition (up to 0.52 vol%). The chemical and isotopic compositions of the gas samples suggest the meteoric origin of N₂, predominant crustal origins of CH₄, CO₂, and He. The mantle-derived He contributions are calculated to be from 5 to 8% based on a crust–mantle binary mixing model. The deep temperatures in the Jxw reservoir were evaluated based on gas isotope geothermometry to be in the range from 141 to 165 °C. The mantle-derived heat fraction in the surface heat flow is estimated to be in the range of 48–51% based on ³He/⁴He ratios.