Contemporary crustal kinematics in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, SE China: Implications for the geothermal resource exploration

Fault kinematics plays an important role in estimating the stress state and permeability of faults which are controlling factors in the formation of a geothermal system. However, there are very few studies on the kinematic characteristics of the major faults in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), SE China. To obtain a better understanding of the fault kinematics, we establish a comprehensive 3D geomechanical model for the GBA. Our results show that the NE-trending faults in the west of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) usually slip faster than the faults striking in the ENE-WSW direction to the east of the PRE. The NW-trending faults have the lowest modeled fault slip rate. Slip rates of the faults are generally low with a maximum value of 0.12 mm/a occurring on the northeastern segment of the Wuchuan-Sihui fault. The NE-trending faults display sinistral motion, while the ENE-trending faults are dextral. The opposite slip senses on these two fault groups are inferred to be caused by the lateral variations in the crustal stress. Based on the analysis of contemporary kinematics and the heat flow in the GBA, we suggest that the fault segments with relatively high slip rates, such as the northeastern segment of the Wuchuan-Sihui fault, the Kaiping fault, the Enping fault, and the middle segments of the Wuhua-Shenzhen, Zijin-Boluo, and Heyuan faults, have a high prospect for geothermal resources. ... mehrThe intersections of the NW-trending extensional faults and the NE-/ENE-trending faults could also be potential areas of interest for future geothermal exploration.