Airborne-Temperature-Survey Maps of Heat-Flow Anomalies for Exploration Geology

摘要

Precise airborne temperature surveys depicted small predawn surface temperature differences related to heat flow anomalies at the Long Valley, California, KGRA. Zones with conductive heat flow differences of 45 +- 16 mu cal/cm exp 2 (s) has predawn surface temperature differences of 1.4 +- 0.3 exp 0 C. The warmer zones had hot water circulating in a shallow (less than 60-m-deep) aquifer. Hot water is a useful geochemical indicator of geothermal and mineral resource potential. The precise airborne temperature survey method recorded redundant infrared scanner signals at two wavelengths (10 to 12 mu m and 4.5 to 5.5 mu m) and two elevations (0.3 km and 1.2 km). Ground thermistor probes recorded air and soil temperatures during the survey overflights. Radiometric temperatures were corrected for air-path and reflected-sky-radiation effects. Corrected temperatures were displayed in image form with color-coded maps which depicted 0.24 exp 0 C temperature differences. After accounting for surficial features on the corrected predawn thermal imagery, there remained several anomalous zones. These zones had high temperature gradients at depths from 6 to 30 m, compared to the temperature gradients in nearby areas. (ERA citation 08:012202)