Hot Spring Gas Geochemistry in Western Sichuan Province, China After the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake

The chemical components, He, Ne, and C isotropic ratios of gas samples collected thrice from 32 hot springs in western Sichuan Province, southwestern China in June and October 2008 and June 2009 were investigated in order to discuss the relationship between hot spring gas geochemistry and the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake. The data showed that the He-3/He-4 and delta C-13(CO2) values in spring gases in the Longmenshan fault (LMSF), Xianshuihe fault (XSHF), and Minjiang fault (MW) zones increased obviously after the great earthquake. It was estimated that up to 62% of mantle helium contributed to the spring gas in the Kangding region based on the maximum He-3/He-4 (7.42 x 10(-6)) in June 2008. Over time the mantle derived fluid contribution to the hot springs gradually decreased, but the crustal gas components: CO2 and CH4 derived from organic matter and radiogenic He increased. The gas geochemical data suggested that more mantle fluids migrated into the crust in western Sichuan Province after the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake.