Vishnu Uppalakkal, Jayant Jharkhande, Ajas Hakkim, Rajesh R. Nair
{"title":"Strategic Utilization of Geo-Resources in India: Integrated Machine Learning and Kinetic Modeling of Lignite for Underground Coal Gasification Assessment","authors":"Vishnu Uppalakkal, Jayant Jharkhande, Ajas Hakkim, Rajesh R. Nair","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10351-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10351-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>It is paramount that solutions to questions of energy security for a developing nation be addressed through its internal resources. India, endowed with 23.8 billion tons of deep un-minable lignite, faces the challenge of economically sustainable extraction. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of lignite's suitability for underground coal gasification (UCG) compared to bituminous coal. Employing a multi-dimensional approach, combining single-step and distributed activation energy model of pyrolysis kinetic modeling with extensive physicochemical analysis (proximate and ultimate analyses, FTIR, SEM–EDX, XRD), revealed that lignite has a lower activation energy making it suitable for UCG. This finding, highlighted by kinetic modeling, is substantiated by the lignite’s structural properties as identified in physicochemical analysis. This study leverages machine learning for higher heating value prediction, finding long short-term memory as the most effective model compared to five other models based on the <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> score and error values. Additionally, an XGBoost algorithm-based model predicts syngas heating value and yield while showcasing the application of machine learning in enhancing energy prediction accuracy. The economic analysis, applied for a 50 MW power plant framework, determines the unit costs for syngas and electricity production to be 7.49 and 6.71 $/GJ and 53.68 and 59.93 $/MWh for the samples of lignite and bituminous coal, respectively. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the energy content in syngas is the most significant parameter. These comprehensive findings validate lignite's potential for energy production in India, offering insights for similar resource optimization in other developing countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"2018 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141185151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Importance of Parameter Uncertainty in the Modeling of Geological Variables","authors":"Oktay Erten, Clayton V. Deutsch","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10363-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10363-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Quantitative modeling of geological heterogeneity is critical for resource management and decision-making. However, in the early stages of a mining project, the only data available for modeling the spatial variability of the variables are from a limited number of exploration drill holes. This means that the empirical cumulative distribution function of the data, which is one of the key inputs for the geostatistical simulation, is uncertain, and ignoring this uncertainty may lead to biased resource risk assessments. The parameter uncertainty can be quantified by the multivariate spatial bootstrap procedure and propagated through geostatistical simulation workflows. This methodology is demonstrated in a case study using the data from the former lead and zinc mine at Lisheen, Ireland. The joint modeling of the lead and zinc grades is carried out by using (1) all of the available data, (2) a representative subset (approximately 10% of the available data) without parameter uncertainty, and (3) the same subset with parameter uncertainty. In all cases, the turning bands simulation approach generates realizations of lead and zinc grades. In the third case, the uncertainty in the lead and zinc grade distributions is first quantified (i.e., prior uncertainty) by the correlated bootstrap realizations. This joint prior uncertainty is then updated in simulation by the conditioning data and domain limits, which results in posterior uncertainty. The results indicate that a more realistic resource risk assessment can be achieved when parameter uncertainty is considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141165228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ming Cheng, Xuehai Fu, Junqiang Kang, Ting Liu, Jielin Lu
{"title":"Effects of Various Depressurization Paths on Desorption Deformation and Gas Production of Medium-Rank Coal in Qinshui Basin","authors":"Ming Cheng, Xuehai Fu, Junqiang Kang, Ting Liu, Jielin Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10341-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10341-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A combination of physical and numerical simulations is employed to compare the differences in desorption deformation and desorption volumes of coal samples under varying depressurization paths, aiming to understand their impact on coalbed methane (CBM) extraction. In this work, two medium-rank coal samples from the central-eastern region of the Qinshui Basin were chosen for the desorption–strain experiments. The experiment facilitated real-time observation of desorption gas volumes and coal matrix deformation under various depressurization paths. Finite element analysis was utilized to model and analyze the evolution of pore pressure during depressurization and desorption. The research outcomes indicate a dependency of desorption gas volumes on the chosen depressurization path. With the slow depressurization path, the desorption gas volume over 12 h was 8% higher than that achieved with the rapid depressurization path. When the pressure difference across the pores fell below the pressure difference required for gas migration, the gas cannot overcome the resistance, leading to residual gas being trapped in the pores. With the slow depressurization path, the coal matrix exhibited notably lower residual pore pressure and remaining gas volume compared to the rapid depressurization path. The differences in desorption volumes under various depressurization paths were mainly driven by the pore structure and matrix strain. Rapid depressurization led to pore contraction, which decreased pore size and connectivity, increasing resistance to gas migration and decreasing absorption rates. Conversely, the slow depressurization path led to a more gradual pore contraction and minimal strain, supporting the continuous production of CBM.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"66 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141165124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Mineral Displacement on Geothermal Reservoir Properties at High Temperatures Identified using Micro-CT and Digital Volume Correlation","authors":"Jingjie Wu, Hao Xu, Bo Xiong, Chaohe Fang, Shejiao Wang, Peng Zong, Ding Liu, Fudong Xin","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10361-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10361-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Characterization of reservoir rock samples under in situ conditions is crucial for evaluating the quantity and exploitable potential of geothermal energy. However, reservoir characterization is impeded by the lack of precise assessments of rock properties at in situ temperatures. To address this, high-temperature micro-computed tomography was deployed, integrating digital volume correlation (DVC) technology to ascertain the strain exhibited by pores and minerals. The findings reveal the neglect of the effects of mineral displacement at high temperatures previously. The strain within the sandstone is heterogeneous and primarily concentrated at the edges of large grains of brittle minerals and the fillings among them. The weak interfaces among diverse large-grain brittle minerals and their fillings cause strain in sandstone. At 105 °C, the average equivalent strain in sandstone was 0.03275 determined by DVC, significantly surpassing the strain of mineral thermal expansion, which remained below 0.001. Most of the strain was caused by mineral displacement, not mineral thermal expansion. The porosity of the sandstone decreased from 5.02 to 4.84% as the temperature increased from 30 to 105 °C, and some of the connected pores were transformed into independent pores at high temperatures. The tortuosity of the sample increased from 3.88 to 3.97 from 30 to 105 °C, respectively, and the temperature increase caused permeability reduction from 67.9 to 58.2 mD (1 mD = 9.869233 × 10<sup>−16</sup> m<sup>2</sup>). The thermal treatment experiments demonstrated that mineral displacement in sandstones is a universal phenomenon at high temperatures and it leads to changes in sandstone pore structure and permeability. This study advances a new path to investigate geothermal reservoir properties at high temperatures and offers novel understanding.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141156628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammad Maleki, Nadia Mery, Saeed Soltani-Mohammadi, Xavier Emery
{"title":"Mineral Resources Evaluation in Narrow Deposits: A Case Study on a Layered Bauxite Deposit","authors":"Mohammad Maleki, Nadia Mery, Saeed Soltani-Mohammadi, Xavier Emery","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10354-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10354-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although narrow deposits hold economic and environmental importance, the assessment of their mineral resources with kriging is often challenging due to the shortage of paired data for variogram analysis along the narrow dimension. This study addresses the problem of modeling alumina and silica grades in a layered bauxite deposit using three geostatistical approaches. The first one is the direct approach, where grades are cokriged inside the mineralized layer interpreted by geologists; the second one (indirect approach) substitutes the grades with the layer thickness and accumulations as service variables; the third approach trades the traditional random field representation for a deterministic representation to jointly predict the alumina and silica grades inside the mineralized layer, based on an innovative technique called transitive cokriging. A comparative analysis of the results highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, in terms of data preparation, geological modeling, and mineral resources modeling. The study concludes that the transitive approach is a promising alternative for mapping ore grades in deposits with narrow dimensions, due to a more congenial structural analysis and a reduced smoothing effect in comparison with the direct approach, while it avoids scaling down the representation of the deposit to two dimensions as in the indirect approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141097978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CO2, CH4, and N2 Desorption Characteristics in a Low-Rank Coal Reservoir","authors":"Zhaoying Chen, Junqiang Kang, Xuehai Fu, Mingjie Liu, Qingling Tian, Jiahao Wu","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10357-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10357-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>With increasing emphasis on low-carbon environmental protection, CO<sub>2</sub> enhanced coalbed methane production and methane reuse in abandoned mines (rich in N<sub>2</sub>) have gradually become one of the future development directions. These scenarios involve the coordinated migration of different gases such as CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub>, and the differences in properties of different gases that affect the flow process. Previous studies often focused on the adsorption differences between gases, neglecting the differences during desorption process. In view of this, the current work conducted experiments and finite element numerical analysis on the desorption process of CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub>, clarified the differences and influencing factors of desorption among the gases, and analyzed the flow change rules under different permeability and diffusion capabilities. The results indicated that the main differences among CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub> during desorption are reflected in the parameters of Langmuir volume, permeability, and diffusion coefficient. These parameters showed that CO<sub>2</sub> has the highest value during desorption, while N<sub>2</sub> has the lowest. The factors affecting the magnitude of differences between CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub> are mainly their compositions. Specifically, ash content significantly affects the difference in adsorption capacity, while moisture content influences permeability and diffusion coefficient. During desorption, permeability plays a continuous role throughout the whole process, while diffusion coefficient is exhibited mainly in the initial stage of desorption. Different gases have varying sensitivities to permeability and diffusion coefficients during desorption. Changes in permeability and diffusion coefficient significantly affect the CO<sub>2</sub> desorption process. N<sub>2</sub>, on the other hand, is the least sensitive, especially to changes in diffusion coefficient. During gas flow, when reservoir permeability is less than 0.01 mD (= 9.869233 × 10<sup>−18</sup> m<sup>2</sup>), permeability becomes the main factor that affects flow. When the diffusion coefficient is less than 5 × 10<sup>−9</sup> m<sup>2</sup>/s, increasing the diffusion coefficient is necessary to effectively promote gas outflow. To effectively increase gas production, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the magnitudes of permeability and diffusion coefficient.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141096747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hydrocarbon Source and Relationship between Hydrocarbon Charging Process and Reservoir Tight Period of the Denglouku Formation Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoirs in the Xujiaweizi Fault Depression, Songliao Basin","authors":"Huan Miao, Zhenxue Jiang, Jiaming Lu, Chengju Zhang, Lidong Shi, Lidong Sun, Liang Yang, Peng Shang","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10359-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10359-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The exploration level of tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the Denglouku Formation (DF) in the Xujiaweizi Fault Depression is low, and hydrocarbon source and accumulation process remain unclear. Through the analysis of natural gas geochemistry, X-ray diffraction, thin section observation, scanning electron microscope, physical property testing, cathodoluminescence, fluid inclusions, and basin simulation, we examine source of hydrocarbon, the period of hydrocarbon accumulation, and the evolution of physical properties of the tight sandstone gas in the DF. Additionally, the formation process of tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the DF is discussed. The results reveal the following: (1) the tight sandstone gas in the DF is categorized as III kerogen cracking gas, primarily sourced from dark mudstone of the second member of the DF, with some contribution from dark mudstone of the Shahezi Formation. (2) The tight sandstone in the DF is in stage B of middle diagenesis. Based on apparent compaction rate, apparent cementation rate, and apparent dissolution rate, it can be divided into four diagenetic facies: (1) strong compaction–medium cementation–weak dissolution facies; (2) medium compaction–strong cementation–medium dissolution facies; (3) medium compaction–strong cementation–weak dissolution facies; and (4) medium compaction–medium cementation–medium dissolution facies. The predominant diagenetic facies are the medium compaction–strong cementation–medium dissolution facies and medium compaction–medium cementation–medium dissolution facies. (3) The hydrocarbon charging period of the DF in study area ranged from 98 to 67.5 Ma. This period is earlier than the tight period of the strong compaction–medium cementation–weak dissolution facies sandstone and later than the tight period of the medium compaction–strong cementation–medium dissolution facies, medium compaction–strong cementation–weak dissolution facies, and medium compaction–medium cementation–medium dissolution facies sandstone. Consequently, two types of tight sandstone gas reservoirs exist in study area: (1) tight sandstone gas reservoir with tight first and then accumulation type and (2) composite tight sandstone gas reservoirs. Our research offers theoretical instruction for exploration of deep tight sandstone gas in northern Songliao Basin.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141085465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhuoyuan Ma, Shu Tao, Lichao Gao, Yi Cui, Qinghe Jing, Shida Chen, Wei He, Jie Guo, Lianfu Hai
{"title":"Detailed Characterization of Microscopic Pore Structure in Low-Rank Coal: A Case Study of Zhalainuoer Coalfield","authors":"Zhuoyuan Ma, Shu Tao, Lichao Gao, Yi Cui, Qinghe Jing, Shida Chen, Wei He, Jie Guo, Lianfu Hai","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10355-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10355-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In China, significant progress has been made in the exploration and development of coalbed methane (CBM) in medium- to high-rank coals. However, the exploration and development potential of CBM in low-rank coals in the Zhalainuoer coalfield is unknown. In this study, various testing methods were utilized, including low temperature N<sub>2</sub>/CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance, to investigate the pore structure characteristics of low-rank coals in the Zhalainuoer coalfield, so as to further evaluate the occurrence space of CBM therein. The results revealed that the prevalent pore types in the low-rank coals were “ink bottle” shaped pores and semi-closed pores, and micropores provide the main specific surface area (SSA) and total pore volume (TPV). Moreover, there is no significant correlation between vitrinite content and fractal dimension, while pore SSA and TPV are correlated positively with D<sub>1</sub> but negatively with D<sub>2</sub>. The coalification degree significantly impacts the pore characteristics of the coal reservoirs. With coalification degree increasing, the SSA and TPV of micropores and transition pores generally exhibited a pattern of initially decreasing and then increasing. These research findings establish a theoretical foundation for the exploration and development of CBM in the Zhalainuoer coalfield.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141079257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mineral Prospectivity Prediction Based on Self-Supervised Contrastive Learning and Geochemical Data: A Case Study of the Gold Deposit in the Malanyu District, Hebei Province, China","authors":"Qunfeng Miao, Pan Wang, Hengqian Zhao, Zhibin Li, Yunfei Qi, Jihua Mao, Meiyu Li, Guanglong Tang","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10335-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10335-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Data-driven prospectivity modeling based on deep learning, particularly supervised learning, has demonstrated outstanding performance for mineral exploration targeting in the past years, thanks to its powerful feature learning ability. However, this approach necessitates a substantial amount of large, high-quality labeled training data, and the scarcity of known mineral deposits poses significant challenges in constructing a high-performance mineral prospectivity prediction model. Self-supervised contrastive learning can alleviate this problem by exploiting large amounts of readily available unlabeled data. In this study, we utilized geochemical element data from the Malanyu district to train a self-supervised contrastive learning model. This model was then employed to predict gold mineral prospectivity, and its accuracy was compared with supervised learning method. The results show that the self-supervised contrastive learning model has higher performance in prospectivity prediction than the supervised learning model and its recognition accuracy reaches 100.00%, which is 7.41% higher than that of the supervised learning model ResNet50 and 14.81% higher than that of the supervised learning model MobileNetV2. At the same time, the prediction results of gold prospecting have a strong consistency with the known gold deposits in this district. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying the self-supervised comparative learning model to the prediction of gold prospects, and it is of great significance to realize intelligent prediction of mineral resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141079314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiancheng Mao, Huiting Zhong, Zhankun Liu, Lingzhi Zhong, Yudong Chen, Syed Muzyan Shahzad, Jin Chen, Hao Deng
{"title":"3D Numerical Modeling for Investigating Structural Controls on Orogenic Gold Mineralization, Sanshandao Gold Belt, Eastern China","authors":"Xiancheng Mao, Huiting Zhong, Zhankun Liu, Lingzhi Zhong, Yudong Chen, Syed Muzyan Shahzad, Jin Chen, Hao Deng","doi":"10.1007/s11053-024-10353-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10353-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hydrothermal disseminated gold mineralization in the Sanshandao gold belt, Jiaodong Peninsula, China, is closely associated with regional NE–NNE fault zones. To investigate the structural controls on this mineralization, we conducted 3D numerical modeling of coupled heat transport, tectonic deformation, and fluid flow, of which two sets of models, designed simple models and actual models, were involved. The simple models were used to examine how general fault geometries (fault bend length, fault bend angle, and fault dip) influenced dilation (positive volume strain) and fluid flow and further influenced hydrothermal mineralization. In contrast, actual modeling was carried out to further understand the structural controls and mineralization localization in a specific geological condition at Sanshandao. Following this, numerical simulation experiments with variable paleo-stresses on these two models were carried out in FLAC<sup>3D</sup> platform. The simulation results of the simple models showed that long fault bend lengths, large absolute fault bend angles, and large changes in fault dip were more likely to promote dilation in the fault zone. The dilation zones are related to the small intersection angle of maximum principal stress and fault dip. The simulation results of the actual model illustrate that the gold mineralization distribution at Sanshandao was controlled by the coupling of fault strike–dip bends. Specifically, the discontinuous mineralization in the vertical direction was caused by local fluid focusing due to fault dip changes, particularly where the bend length was long. In addition, the oblique orientation of ore shooting depended on the variable strain orientations relative to the fault, which appeared to be fault strike variations. The results further determined the NNW–SSE-directed compression as the paleo-stress regime at Sanshandao during the ore-forming period. Our data also illustrated the deep fluid flow pathways in the Sanshandao gold belt and the Xinli S–SSE deep and the Sanshandao and Beibuhaiyu E–NE deep areas deserve to be the focus of the next gold exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":54284,"journal":{"name":"Natural Resources Research","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141074286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}