In this paper a comprehensive tracing study is conducted on mantle degassing and deep-seated geological structures in different types of fault zones in the continent of China based on the helium isotope data, coupled with some indices such as CO2/3He, CH4/3He and 40Ar/36Ar, and geological tectonics data. There are four representative types of fault zones: (1) Lithospheric fault zones in the extensional tectonic environment are characterized by a small Earth’s crust thickness, a lower CH4/3He-high R and lower CO2/3He-high R system, the strongest mantle de- gassing, and the dominance of mantle fluid, as is represented by the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone. (2) The lithospheric fault zones or the subduction zone in the strongly compresso-tectonic envi- ronment, for instance, the Bangonghu-Nujiang fault zone, are characterized by a huge thick Earth’s crust, with the R/Ra values within the range of 0.43―1.13, and weak mantle degassing with mantle-source helium accounting for 5%―14% of the total. (3) The deep-seated fault zones at the basinal margins of an orogenic belt are characterized by R values being on order of mag- nitude of 10?7, and the CH4/3He values, 109―1010, CO2/3He values, 106―108; as well as much weak mantle degassing. (4) The crustal fault zones in the orogenic belt, such as the Yaojie fault zone (F19), possess a high CH4/3He-low R (10?8) and high CO2/3He-low R system, with no obvi- ous sign of mantle degassing. Studies have shown that the deep-seated huge fault zones are the major channel ways for mantle degassing, the main factors controlling the intensity of mantle degassing are fault depth, tectonic environment and crust thickness; the intensity of mantle de- gassing can reflect the depth and the status of deep-seated tectonic environment of fault, while the geochemical tracing studies of gases can open up a new research approach; upwelling ac- tivity of hydrothermal fluids from the deep interior of the Earth may be one of the driving forces for the formation and evolution of the huge deep
TAO Mingxin1,2, XU Yongchang1, SHI Baoguang1, JIANG Zhongti3, SHEN Ping1, LI Xiaobin1 & SUN Mingliang1 1. Key Laboratory of Gas Geochemistry, Lanzhou Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
