Remote sensing and GIS based geothermal exploration in southwest Tengchong, China

This work focuses on using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) to identify promising geothermal areas in southwest Tengchong, China. Thematic information, including surface temperature, urban area, and surface slope are derived from Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data and digital elevation models (DEM). GIS is applied as a decision-support tool to integrate the thematic information for suitability analysis. The results indicate that combining remote sensing with GIS is an overall effective and accurate method for geothermal exploration. Three developed geothermal fields are successfully extracted in Tengchong, and promising areas are found to the north of study area and warrant further exploration.