Heat sources and flow

Reading: Fowler Ch 7

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Sun

Heat sources
From the sun 2 x 1017 W 4 x 102 Wm-2 From the Earths interior 4.4 x 1013 W 8.7 x 10-2 Wm-2

Drives surface processes Drives deep Earth processes convection plate tectonics metamorphism intrusion volcanism water cycle biosphere rain erosion

Earthquakes: 1011 W

Earth

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Surface heat flow

Average: 87 mW m-2

Heat flow measurements

Heat flow

High heat flow at mid-ocean ridges, low in the continents Pollack et al, 1993
EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Heat transfer

a review

Where do these processes occur on Earth?

Advection 1. 2.

when a mass of material is uplifted carrying heat with it

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Heat conduction

Typical thermal conductivities silver 418 W m-1 C-1 magnesium 159 W m-1 C-1 rock 1.7-3.3 W m-1 C-1 glass 1.2 W m-1 C-1 wood 0.1 W m-1 C-1

How do we measure surface heat flow?

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Measuring heat flow

Long probe into sediment thermocouples measure temperature gradient estimate thermal conductivity of sediment (sample?)

What about rock sites?

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Heat conduction and advection equations

One-dimensional heat conduction equation and in three-dimensions

When no internal heat generation

the diffusion equation

thermal diffusivity

When the particle can advect and in three-dimensions

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Radioactive heat generation

the A term

U and Th are the most important Granite has greater heat generation than mafic and undepleted mantle Still only 1/5th of the heat comes from the crust as there is so much more mantle Total heat production: (1.4 to 2.7) x 1013 W, best guess: 2.1 x 1013 W (Heat supply to the Earths surface: 4.4 x 1013 W)
EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Radioactive heat generation

Radioactive elements were more abundant remember

the A term

they were e t more abundant

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Equilibrium geotherms

2nd order differential equation: need two boundary conditions to solve

Define surface temperature and heat flow

1. T = 0 at z = 0 2. Q = = -Q0 at z = 0

solve

Or, define T at surface and heat flow at some depth 1. T = 0 at z = 0 2. Q = -Qd at z = d solve

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Equilibrium geotherms

One layer model

(a) Standard model:
k = 2.5 W m-1 C-1 A = 1.25 x 10-6 W m-3 Qmoho = 21 x 10-3 W m-2

shallow T-gradient: 30 C km-1 deep T-gradient: 15 C km-1

Conductivity T-grad increases (b) reduce Heat generation increase T-grad increases (c) Basal heat flow increase T-grad increases (d)

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Equilibrium geotherms

Two layer model

more realistic

Consider each layer separately and match T and T-grad at boundary layer 1 A = A1 for 0 layer 2 A = A2 for z1 z < z2 z < z1

and T = 0 at z = 0 Q = -Q2 at z = z2

for 0

z < z1

for z1

z < z2

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

U.S. temperatures
Why the differences?

Estimated temperatures at 6 kilometers depth Data used: thermal conductivity, thickness of sedimentary rock, geothermal gradient, heat flow, and surface temperature.

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Timescales

long

Increase basal heat from (a) Qmoho = 21 x 10-3 W m-2 to (d) Qmoho = 42 x 10-3 W m-2

Consider rock at 20 km depth t=0 t = 20 Ma t = 100 Ma t= 567 C 580 C 700 C 734 C

melting and intrusion are important heat transfer mechanisms in the lithosphere
EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Timescales
From the diffusion equation we can define the characteristic timescale the amount of time necessary for a temperature change to propagate a distance l characteristic thermal diffusion distance the distance a change in temperature will propagate in time thermal diffusivity of granite: 8.5 x 10-7 m2 s-1 l = 10 m = 4 years l = 1 km = 37,000 years l = 100 km = 370 Ma
EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

thermal diffusivity

Instantaneous cooling
T=0 T0 Semi-infinite half-space at temperature T0 Allow to cool at surface where T = 0 No internal heating, use diffusion equation

The solution is the error function

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

Global heat flow

Most heat loss in the oceans the creation and cooling of oceanic plates the Earths heat budget drives plate tectonics

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow

EPS 122: Lecture 18 Heat sources and flow