Abstract:
Based on the investigation and research results since 1974 in Tengchong, Western Yunnan Province, it is found that there is a rare modern hydrothermal enrichment system of uranium, gold, arsenic, antimony, rare earth, lithium, mercury, tungsten, hydrogen and other elements. To summarize the anomalous enrichment characteristics of strategic metal elements of lithium, uranium and gold in hot springs and explore their symbiotic enrichment mechanism, we collected 320 geochemical data from 57 hot springs reported over the last 50 years through regional data collection and integration. Then we firstly systematically combed out the following typical characteristics of lithium, uranium and gold elements in hot springs: (1) Three kinds of metal elements are anomalously enriched in some springs. Lithium and gold are mainly enriched in the Dagunguo spring, uranium is mainly enriched in Zhenzhu spring and Dieshuihe carbonated spring. The hot springs in this area contain higher levels of lithium and uranium than most in the province. (2) Lithium element has the characteristics of stable content, high enrichment efficiency and great resource potential. The variation coefficients of lithium content in hot springs in Rehai area are all lower than 30%, indicating that the fluctuation range of lithium content is small in the past half century. It is estimated that the annual overflow of lithium from hot springs in the region amounts to 532.9 tons, and the loss in 20 years can exceed that of a small lithium mine. In addition, the 381 sandstone-type uranium deposit also has the phenomenon of “inexhaustible exploitation” of uranium, which may be related to the continuous replenishment of new uranium from the spring. On the basis of previous research results, it is proposed that the co-accumulation of lithium, uranium and gold in hot springs may be mainly caused by the migration of such elements in the core or its local areas along the “Tengchang modern mantle plume” from bottom to top, and the continuous accumulation in the surface hot springs and their sediments, that is, the origin of “Earth’s core source-Mantle plume”.