Fig. 6.3.

The flow of heat Q along a conductor of length L and cross-section A, with ends maintained at
different temperatures T1 and T2 (T2 > T1).

6.6.1 The heat-flow equation

Let Cartesian axes be defined so that the z-axis is vertically downwards and the x- and y-axes lie in the
horizontal plane (Fig. 6.4). Consider the heat flowing vertically upwards along a very short conductor of
cross-sectional area Az normal to the z-direction and of length dz, such that its upper, cooler end at
depth z has temperature T and the lower, warmer end at z + dz has temperature T + dT. Upon inserting
these values into (6.52) and introducing a proportionality constant k we obtain a differential equation for
the heat loss per unit time:

The minus sign indicates that the heat flows in the direction of decreasing z (i.e., upwards). The
proportionality constant is a material property of the conductor, namely its thermal conductivity. The
heat flow qz is defined as the heat crossing unit area per second:

This gives the vertical heat flow along the z-axis; it is possible to define horizontal components along the
x- and y-axes in a similar way, so in general we can write the heat flow as a vector,

6.6.2 The thermal-conduction equation

Returning to the one-dimensional situation, consider the heat flowing vertically upwards (along the z-
axis) through a small rectangular box of sides Δx, Δy,

Fig. 6.4. Heat Qz + ΔQz flows vertically into the base Az of a small box with sides Δx, Δy, and Δz, whereas
the amount of heat that leaves the top of the box is Qz.

Δz with top surface at depth z, where the temperature is T (Fig. 6.4). The heat flow through the top
surface is qz, and the area of the surface normal to the flow is Az = Δx Δy, so the total vertical loss of heat
Qz in time Δt is

At depth z + dz the heat entering the bottom end of the box is Qz + ΔQz, where

The amount of heat remaining in the box is the difference between the amounts entering and leaving it;
on substituting from the right-hand side of (6.56) we have

Now we substitute the definition of the heat flow from (6.54) to obtain the amount of heat ΔQz retained
in the box
Let cP be the specific heat at constant pressure and ρ the density of the material in the box, and let the
rise in temperature caused by the extra heat be ΔT. The mass of matter in the box is m = ρ ΔV, so, using
the definition of specific heat,

By equating this with (6.59) and deleting the factor ΔVon each side, we get

The combination of physical parameters in parentheses defines the thermal diffusivity, κ,

The one-dimensional equation of heat conduction is therefore

This equation is one of the most important in geophysics. An equation with identical form describes the
process of diffusion, by which a net flux of randomly moving particles that is proportional to the gradient
in concentration of the particles can take place. Consequently, the thermal-conduction equation is
sometimes called the heat-diffusion equation. Two specific examples of one-dimensional heat
conduction are described in the following sections: the penetration of external heat into the Earth and
the loss of heat from a cooling half-space. By extension to the x- and y-directions, similar components
are found, the only difference being that the second-order differentiation is with respect to x and y,
respectively. The heat-conduction equation for three dimensions is