The Express Characteristic of the Mineral Composition of Core Samples in Research on Modern Geothermal Systems

The possibilities of using infrared spectroscopy for express characterization of the mineral composition of hydrothermally altered rocks are considered using the example of argillisites of the Yuzhno-Kambalny Central Thermal Field (Pauzhetsky district of South Kamchatka). The minerals that are indicators of sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide leaching zones of rocks have been identified, and the conditions for the transition of some mineral associations to others have been restored with changes in the temperature and geochemical regimes of the geological environment. Zones of ascending alkaline fluid are marked by carbonates and the change of feldspar into gel-like zeolite-like aggregates, with which ore minerals are often associated. To diagnose the latter, an additional method is used, that is, X-ray diffractometry. When taking a large number of core samples from geothermal deposits, this methodological approach is very relevant as it is quite reliable, rapid and economically feasible.