A Structure-controlled Model for Hot Spring Exploration in Taiwan by Remote Sensing

Hot Spring Law of Taiwan was passed in legislative assembly on 3 June 2003. Hot springs would become one of the most important natural resources for recreation purposes. Both public and private sectors will invest large amount of capital in this area in the near future. The value of remote sensing technology is to give a critical tool for observing the landscape to find out mega-scaled geological structures, which may not be able to be found by conventional approaches. The occurrences of the hot springs in Taiwan are mostly in metamorphic and sedimentary rocks , other than in volcanic environments. Local geothermal anomaly or heat of springs transfer by liquid convection other than conduction or radiation. The deeply -seated fractures of hard rocks are the conduit of the convection of hot water, which could be as deep as 3000 meters in a hypothetical model of Taiwan. Clues to find outcrops of hot spring can be obtained by a structure-controlled model deduced by geological lineaments observed by satellite images and stereoscopic interpretation of aerial photographs. A case study conducted in Eastern Taiwan will be demonstrated.