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Delineation of a geothermal source beneath the Panamik-Changlung Hot Springs along the Karakoram Fault, Ladakh, India, using magnetotelluric studies.

Patro PK, Dhamodharan S, Durga V, Azeez KKA, Babu N, Reddy KC, Gupta AK, Krishna MS.

JOURNAL OF VOLCANOLOGY AND GEOTHERMAL RESEARCH

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2025.108478 

The Panamik-Changlung hot springs along the Karakoram Fault (KF) in Ladakh were investigated using magnetotelluric (MT) methods. A 30 km MT profile acquired across the Shyok-Nubra Valley was inverted to generate a 3D resistivity model, revealing a deep conductive zone (<10 Ω·m) at depths of 4-10 km, interpreted as a geothermal reservoir. A shallow conductor (~1.5 km depth) corresponds to Nubra sediments and fractured Karakoram rocks saturated with thermal fluids. The conductive anomaly aligns with surface hot springs, indicating tectonically controlled fluid circulation and highlighting significant geothermal potential in the region.

Fig: Generalized geology and tectonic map (modified after Jain and Singh, 2008; Martin et al., 2025) overlaid on the SRTM topography (NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), 2013) of the Ladakh Himalaya, showing the Panamik-Changlung hot spring area and the MT sites. Himalayan tectonic features— including the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), Main Central Thrust (MCT), and South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS)—are shown in the key map, reproduced from Prasath et al. (2022).

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