Heat flow and depth versus age for the Mesozoic northwest Atlantic Ocean: results from the Sohm abyssal plain and implications for the Bermuda Rise

Heat flow in the Sohm abyssal plain is measured to be 53 mW/m² at an age of 163 Ma. This is 25% higher than predicted by conductive cooling models, even though the sediment-corrected basement depth of 6.5 km at this location is normal for its age. An analysis of existing heat flow, depth and geoid anomalies in the northwest Atlantic shows that there is little correlation between heat flow and depth throughout the entire region. Depth and geoid are clearly related to the Bermuda swell while the associated heat flow anomaly, once adjusted for variations with age, is limited to 5 mW/m² and only decays to the south. This means that the Bermuda swell is probably not caused by extensive thermal reheating within the lithosphere, but instead by dynamic uplift at its lower boundary due to the convective upwelling of a mantle plume. The regionally high heat flow in the northwest Atlantic may be a thermal remanent of previous plumes which passed beneath this region early in its history. Therefore, depth and heat flow anomalies from this region cannot be used to provide constraints on steady-state parameters of the lithosphere, such as the presence or absence of a long-term boundary layer at its base.     

Tectonic thermal history and its significance on the formation of oil and gas accumulation and mineral deposit in Ordos Basin

The analyzing data on stratigraphic temperature measurement, thermal conductivity of the strata and radioactive heat production rate show that the present average geothermal gradient in the Ordos Basin is 2.93 °C/100 m, and the average heat flow value is 61.78 mW/m², which belongs to the mesothermal basin, and the value of the present geothermal gradient and heat flow in the east is higher than that in the west. The sandstone radioactive heat production rate of Zhiluo Group in Dongsheng Uranium deposits of Yimeng uplift is obviously higher in the mudstone, indicating that there exists a uranium anomaly. Based on studies of the present thermal field of the basin, the late-Mesozoic paleotemperature and paleogeothermal gradient are determined by using different kinds of paleotemperature methods. According to the anomaly of the late-Mesozoic paleotemperature gradient and magmatic event age, there was a tectonic thermal event in the early Cretaceous epoch of late-Mesozoic. This article rebuilds tectonic thermal history of different tectonic units by thermal history simulation using basin simulating software. The evolution of oil-gas and coal, and accumulation (mineralization) of mineral uranium are all controlled by the tectonic thermal history in the Ordos basin, especially by the tectonic thermal event that happened in the late Mesozoic. For both the gas source rocks of upper Paleozoic group and lower paleozoic group, the gas was largely generated in the early Cretaceous epoch of the late Mesozoic. The main petroleum generation period for Yanchang Group in Triassic system is the early Cretaceous epoch too, and the highest thermal maturity of the coal of Permo-Carboniferous, Triassic, and Jurassic reaches is the early Cretaceous epoch also. Early Cretaceous epoch is still one of the most important mineralizing periods of uranium.     

Heat flow anomalies and their interpretation

More than 10,000 heat flow determinations exist for the earth and the data set is growing steadily at about 450 observations per year. If heat flow is considered as a surface expression of geothermal processes at depth, the analysis of the data set should reveal properties of those thermal processes. They do, but on a variety of scales. For this review heat flow maps are classified by 4 different horizontal scales of 10ⁿ km (n = 1, 2, 3 and 4) and attention is focussed on the interpretation of anomalies which appear with characteristic dimensions of 10^{(n − 1)} km in the respective representations.The largest scale of 10⁴ km encompasses heat flow on a global scale. Global heat loss is 4 × 10¹³ W and the process of sea floor spreading is the principal agent in delivering much of this heat to the surface. Correspondingly, active ocean ridge systems produce the most prominent heat flow anomalies at this scale with characteristic widths of 10³ km. Shields, with similar dimensions, exhibit negative anomalies.The scale of 10³ km includes continent wide displays. Heat flow patterns at this scale mimic tectonic units which have dimensions of a few times 10² km, although the thermal boundaries between these units are sometimes sharp. Heat flow anomalies at this scale also result from plate tectonic processes, and are associated with arc volcanism, back arc basins, hot spot traces, and continental rifting. There are major controversies about the extent to which these surface thermal provinces reflect upper mantle thermal conditions, and also about the origin and evolution of the thermal state of continental lithosphere.Beginning with map dimensions of 10² km thermal anomalies of scale 10¹ km, which have a definite crustal origin, become apparent. The origin may be tectonic, geologic, or hydrologic. Ten kilometers is a common wavelength of topographic relief which drives many groundwater flow systems producing thermal anomalies. The largest recognized continental geothermal systems have thermal anomalies 10¹ km wide and are capable of producing hundreds of megawatts of thermal energy.The smallest scale addressed in this paper is 10¹ km. Worldwide interest in exploiting geothermal systems has been responsible for a recent accumulation of heat flow data on the smallest of scales considered here. The exploration nature of the surveys involve 10's of drillholes and reveal thermal anomalies having widths of 10⁰ km. These are almost certainly connected to surface and subsurface fluid discharge systems which, in spite of their restricted size, are typically delivering 10 MW of heat to the near surface environment.     

A detailed study of the distribution of heat flow and radioactivity in New Hampshire (U.S.A.)

We present a set of 39 new determinations of heat flow and radiogenic heat production for several different geological environments in the State of New Hampshire (U.S.A.). With the extensive data set now available for the state, the linear relation of heat flow and heat production appears as a very useful generalization for the study of the heat flow field of a geological province. Our measurements indicate that the vertical distribution of radiogenic heat production is similar in plutonic and metasedimentary rocks. Our data are compatible with the linear relationship established earlier by F. Birch and his co-workers in 1968. Young granites are markedly enriched in radioactive elements and those which do not outcrop are revealed by anomalies in the general relation of heat flow versus radioactivity.Heat flow is high for plutons by low elsewhere. The mean heat flow through metasedimentary formations is 1.15 μcal/cm² s (48 mW/m²), a value near the mean heat flow for old cratons. The lowest heat flow measured is 0.76 μcal/cm² s (32 mW/m²) for a unit poor in radioactivity. The heat flow field grades smoothly into the low heat flow regions of the Canadian Shield.The New Hampshire region is in thermal equilibrium: its heat flow is in secular equilibrium with the heat generated by crustal sources and that supplied from the mantle. In this area, the thermal perturbations due to orogenic events decrease below the detection level in less than 200–275 Ma. The thickness of the layer which is thermally affected during continent-continent collision-type orogenies cannot be greater than about 190 km.     

Convection of geothermal fluids in the timanfaya volcanic area (Lanzarote,Canary Islands)

Summary A mathematical model has been derived to study the superficial thermal anomalies to be found in Lanzarote (605°C at 13 m depth) in association with the convection of geothermal fluids. The model is valid for a wide range of conditions, in particular for those found beneath the Timanfaya volcano (active between 1730 and 1736). Geological and geophysical data suggest that the heat source is related to a cylindrical magma body with a radius of 200±100 m and a top temperature of 850±100°C at a depth of 4±1 km.Energy is transported through fractures by magmatic volatiles and/or by water vapour coming from a deeply located water table: in such a convection system, a fluid flow of 10 l/m² day, which corresponds to a thermal flux of 130 W/m², is sufficient to explain the temperature anomalies observed at the surface. The relationships between gas flow and the surface temperatures, as well as the thermal gradients in the conducting fracture are also discussed.     

Thermal regime of the continental lithosphere

Thermally, the lithosphere may be defined as that outer portion of the earth in which heat is transferred primarily by conduction. It generally includes the crust and part of the mantle. The thermal regime of continental lithosphere is determined by many factors including heat flow from the asthenosphere, the vertical and lateral variation of both thermal conductivity and radiogenic heat production, tectonic history, and such superficial processes as climatic history and the shallow hydrothermal regime. From studies of the global heat flow data set, two generalizations regarding continental lithosphere have arisen, namely that: 1) there is a negative correlation between heat flow and tectonic age of continental lithosphere; and 2) the thermal evolution of continental lithosphere is similar to that of ocean basins with the result that the “stable geotherm” is similar in both environments. When continental heat-flow data are studied from a regional rather than a global point of view, considerable doubt arises as to the general applicability of either statement. R. U. M. Rao and his associates have demonstrated that while Precambrian terranes do have demonstrably lower heat flows than, say, Tertiary terranes, the data are not normally distributed and it is not possible to establish a negative correlation between heat flow and age in any rigorous statistical way. The scatter in the relation may be explained in terms of the variations in the duration, intensity and even the sign of continental thermotectonic events in contrast to the simple situation (creation of new oceanic lithosphere at mid-ocean ridges) which prevails in the oceans. The scatter also is partially attributable to the large and laterally variable radiogenic component of heat flow on continents. For a province for which a heat flow-heat production relation has been established, much of the scatter in surface heat flow due to crustal radiogenic heat production versus age is eliminated by determining reduced heat flow (surface heat flow minus radiogenic component) as a function of tectonic age, but much scatter remains, and it is still not possible to establish a heat flux-age relation in a rigorous way. Primarily because of the spatial variability in radiogenic heat production, no single geotherm can be used to characterize the thermal regime of a stable continental terrane. Thus, while some sites on stable continental blocks may have a geotherm fortuitously similar to that for old ocean basins, there is no reason to expect that this will be true generally, and many stable continental terranes will be characterized by geotherms markedly different from the geotherm for old ocean basins.     

Age dependence of continental heat flow—fantasy and facts

Extensive use of empirical heat flow/age relations in the field of thermal studies indicates that the basic concept of a relation between heat flow and age is deeply entrenched. The idea of a thermal time constant and thermal thickness for the lithosphere depends on the validity of a heat flow/age relation. Several thermal and thermo-mechanical lithospheric models are constrained by a heat flow/age relation, a corrected heat flow/age relation, or a reduced heat flow/age relation. The theory of plate tectonics provides a physical basis for a heat flow/age relation for the oceans. Reliable heat flow measurements from well-sedimented areas of the oceans are known to support it. On the contrary, the theory of plate tectonics does not support an age relation for the continents, which is not well realized. It is pointed out that according to the theory of plate tectonics, a distinct heat flow profile should characterize a Cenozoic/Mesozoic orogenic belt over the continents, and a variety of profiles could be expected on account of several possible interactions at convergent plate boundaries. A specific characteristic heat flow value corresponding to a particular age loses meaning, and therefore a heat flow/age relation (or curve) becomes conceptually invalid. Presently available continental heat flow data, statistically analysed in a proper manner, do not (as they should not) support an age relation. Attempts at correcting age-dependent heat flow means for crustal radiogenic heat to obtain an age relation for mantle heat flow do not yield meaningful results.     

The geothermal regime of the northern Yukon and Mackenzie delta regions of northwest Canada — studies of two regional profiles

Temperature data from deep petroleum exploration wells and thermal conductivity estimates based on net rock analysis data have been used to make terrestrial heat flow estimates along two profiles across the sedimentary strata of the Mackenzie Delta, northern Yukon, and offshore Beaufort Sea regions.Both profiles exhibit low heat flow values that range from 34 mWm^–2 to 58 mWm^–2, and little change occurs over large distances in the continental part of the area. Low heat flow values (<40 mWm^–2) occur in the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin and Rapid Depression, both of which are areas of thick successions of Cretacecus and Tertiary clastic sedimentary strata. High heat flow values of almost 80 mWm^–2 occur to the south in the Taiga Nahoni Foldbelt and values as high as 60 mWm^–2 are indicated along the Aklavik Arch Complex, northeast of Aklavik.The regional variations of effective thermal conductivity are insufficient to account for the heat flow variations along the profiles, and so these may indicate deep radiogenic or other heat sources.     

南海北部陆坡深水区的海底原位热流测量

海底热流数据是开展海洋地球动力学研究和油气资源评价的基础数据.南海北部陆坡深水区蕴含有丰富的油气和水合物资源,而该区热流站位很少.为了解陆坡深水区水合物有利区块的地热特征,利用剑鱼1型海底原位热流探针,在南海西沙海域和神狐海域成功获得了16个站位的热流值.测量结果表明,西沙海槽与白云凹陷都具有较高的热流值,西沙海槽区除1个站位结果不可信外,另2个站位所测海底表层地温梯度分别为105.3 和99.9℃·km^-1,原位热流分别为89±1和87±1 mW·m^-2;白云凹陷中部区域13个站位测得表层地温梯度变化于58.5~100.7 ℃·km^-1,热流值除4个站位低于70 mW·m^-2外,其余都变化于75±2~101±4 mW·m^-2范围,比前人在白云凹陷东部获得的热流高.分析认为,西沙海槽和白云凹陷区域的高地热特征与陆坡深水区的高热背景、晚期断裂发育、底辟、岩浆侵入和热流体活动等有关.     

The Oka hydrothermal system, East Sayan mountains

The western flank of the Baikal Rift Zone contains the Oka hydrothermal system of the “volcanogenic type,” which is related to the occurrence of basaltic volcanism. It consists of springs for the discharge of thermal and subthermal waters confined to the intersections of faults of various settings at the boundary of two major lithospheric blocks. Helium isotope data were used to find heat flow for all springs of the hydrothermal system; this heat flow is comparable with that across the bottom of the Baikal southern basin. Predicted hydrotherm temperatures were calculated at the depths of their generation using silica and cation thermometers. The average depth of generation of the springs that form the Oka hydrothermal system is 2.8 km, which is 1.1 km nearer to the ground surface than the h of the hydrothermal occurrences around Lake Baikal. The spatial coincidence between the location of the hydrothermal system and the area of young volcanism provides evidence of a common source of heat, while the thermal parameters of the system, its gas and chemical compositions, correlate with the age of the volcanism.     

Geochemistry of Quaternary travertines in the region north of Rome (Italy): structural, hydrologic and paleoclimatic implications

In the Tyrrhenian region of central Italy, late Quaternary fossil travertines are widespread along two major regional structures: the Tiber Valley and the Ancona-Anzio line. The origin and transport of spring waters from which travertines precipitate are elucidated by chemical and isotopic studies of the travertines and associated thermal springs and gas vents. There are consistent differences in the geochemical and isotopic signatures of thermal spring waters, gas vents and present and fossil travertines between east and west of the Tiber Valley. West of the Tiber Valley, δ¹³C of CO₂ discharged from gas vents and δ¹³C of fossil travertines are higher than those to the east. To the west the travertines have higher strontium contents, and gases emitted from vents have higher ³He/⁴He ratios and lower N₂ contents, than to the east. Fossil travertines to the west have characteristics typical of thermogene (thermal spring) origin, whereas those to the east have meteogene (low-temperature) characteristics (including abundant plant casts and organic impurities). The regional geochemical differences in travertines and fluid compositions across the Tiber Valley are interpreted with a model of regional fluid flow. The regional Mesozoic limestone aquifer is recharged in the main axis of the Apennine chain, and the groundwater flows westward and is discharged at springs. The travertine-precipitating waters east of the Tiber Valley have shallower flow paths than those to the west. Because of the comparatively short fluid flow paths and low (normal) heat flow, the groundwaters to the east of the Tiber Valley are cold and have CO₂ isotopic signatures, indicating a significant biogenic contribution acquired from soils in the recharge area and limited deeply derived CO₂. In contrast, spring waters west of the Tiber Valley have been conductively heated during transit in these high heat-flow areas and have incorporated a comparatively large quantity of CO₂ derived from decarbonation of limestone. The elevated strontium content of the thermal spring water west of the Tiber Valley is attributed to deep circulation and dissolution of a Triassic evaporite unit that is stratigraphically beneath the Mesozoic limestone. U-series age dates of fossil travertines indicate three main periods of travertine formation (ka): 220-240, 120-140 and 60-70. Based on the regional flow model correlating travertine deposition at thermal springs and precipitation in the recharge area, we suggest that pluvial activity was enhanced during these periods. Our study suggests that travertines preserve a valuable record of paleofluid composition and paleoprecipitation and are thus useful for reconstructing paleohydrology and paleoclimate.     

Thermal modeling of the Southern Alps,New Zealand

Finite-element modeling of the thermal regime across the Southern Alps of New Zealand has been carried out along two profiles situated near the Franz Josef and Haast valleys. The modeling involves viscous deformation beneath the Southern Alps, including both uplift and erosion, and crustal/lithospheric thickening, as a result of crustal shortening extending to 20 mm/y of a 25-km thick crust. Published uplift rates and crustal thickness variations along the two profiles are used to constrain the modeled advection of crustal material, and results are compared with the recent heat flow determinations, 190±50 mW/m² in the Franz Josef valley and 90±25 mW/m² in the Haast valley. Comparisons of the model with published K–Ar and fission track ages, show that the observed heat flow in the Franz Josef valley is consistent with observed zircon fission track ages of around 1 Ma, if the present-day uplift rate is close to 10 mm/y. Major thermal differences between the Franz Josef and Haast profiles appear to be due to different uplift and erosion rates. There is weak evidence that frictional heating close to the Alpine fault zone is not significant. The modeling provides explanations for the distribution of seismicity beneath the Southern Alps, and predicts a low surface heat flow over the eastern foothills due to the dominant thermal effect of crustal thickening beneath this region. Predicted temperatures at mid-crustal depth beneath the zone of maximum uplift rate are 50–100°C cooler than those indicated in previously published models, which implies that thermal weakening of the crust may not be the main factor causing the aseismicity of the central Southern Alps. The results of the modeling demonstrate that the different types of reset age data in the region within 25 km of the Alpine fault are critical for constraining models of the deformation and the thermal regime beneath the Southern Alps.     

Heat flow in the Ozark Plateau, Arkansas and Missouri: relationship to groundwater flow

Heat flow values were calculated from direct measurements of temperature and thermal conductivity at thirteen sites in the Arkansas-Missouri Ozark Plateau region. These thirteen values are augmented by 101 estimates of heat flow, based on thermal conductivity measurements and temperature gradients extrapolated from bottom-hole temperatures. The regional heat flow profile ranges from 9 mW m⁻² to over 80 mW m⁻², but at least two distinct thermal regimes have been identified. Seven new heat flow determinations are combined with three previously published values for the St. Francois Mountains (SFM), a Precambrian exposure of granitic and rhyolitic basement rocks, average 47 mW m⁻². Radioactive heat production of 76 samples of the exposed rocks in the SFM averages 2.4 μW m⁻² and a typical continental basement contribution of 14 mW m⁻² is implied. Conversely, the sedimentary rock sequence of the plateau is characterized by an anomalously low heat flow, averaging approximately 27 mW m⁻². Groundwater transmissivity values that are based on data from 153 wells in deep regional aquifers demonstrate an inverse relationship to the observed heat flow patterns. The areas of high transmissivity that correspond to areas of low total heat flux suggest that the non-conservative vertical heat flow within the Ozark sedimentary sequence can be attributed to the effects of groundwater flow.     

A heat flow survey on anomaly M0 south of the Bermuda Rise

We have obtained a suite of 42 closely spaced, acoustically navigated, heat flow measurements on well-sedimented crust of anomaly M0 age (109 Ma) in the northwest Atlantic Ocean (25°N, 68°W; 950 km south of Bermuda). The mean and standard deviation of the values obtained are 1.13 HFU (μcal/cm² s) (47.3 mW/m²) and 0.05 HFU (2.1 mW/m²), respectively. Some of the variability is accounted for by refractive effects of the basement topography. Drill core data and our modelling suggest that the thermal conductivity contrast between sediments and basement rocks in this region is less than a factor of 1.6. The mean heat flow is close to the 1.1 HFU (46 mW/m²) predicted by both the plate and boundary layer cooling models of the oceanic lithosphere. This is the first detailed comparison with theoretical cooling models on old Atlantic Ocean crust. Since the difference in surface heat flow (0.15 HFU) predicted by the two cooling models for the oldest observed oceanic lithosphere (180 Ma) is also not much larger than the range of uncertainty in our observations, discrimination between the two models on the basis of surface heat flow data alone may prove difficult.     

Geothermal gradients and heat flow in the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin,Arctic Canada

Thermal gradients have been calculated and heat flow estimates made for 34 petroleum exploration wells along four regional profiles crossing the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin of northern Canada. The geothermal gradients vary from 22 mKm^–1 to 44 mKm^–1. Four sets of possible thermal conductivity values were used to calculate a range of heat flow values for each well. Generally low heat flow is observed in wells within the deeper portions of the basin and higher heat flow values occur in wells along the Aklavik Arch Complex which forms the southeastern margin of the basin.The contribution to heat flow by heat generation below the Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin fill sediments has been considered. The heat flow contribution from sub-Mesozoic sedimentary strata and underlying basement is highest along the basin-bounding Aklavik Arch Complex. The decrease in heat flow from below the basin fill sediments toward the basin depocenter may be related to basinward crustal thinning and corresponding reductions in intra-crustal radiogenic heat production.     

Global heat flow: A new look

A global heat flow map has been derived from existing observations supplemented in areas without data by an empirical predictor based on tectonic setting and age. In continental areas the predictor is based on the observed correlation of heat flow with age of last tectono-thermal event, and in oceanic regions on the observed relation of heat flow to age of ocean floor. The predictor was used to assign mean heat flow values to 5° × 5° grid areas on the globe, weighted according to the relative area of tectonic provinces represented. A spherical harmonic analysis to degree 12 of the heat flow field yields a mean value of 59 mW m^?2, a rms residual of 13 mW m^?2, and an amplitude spectrum which decreases gradually and almost monotonically fromn = 1. The spherical harmonic representation of the heat flow field is free of the unreal distortions which have characterized earlier analyses based on a geographically sparse data set. Areas with residuals greater than 15 mW m^?2 comprise less than 19% of the area of the globe, thus indicating that most heat flow provinces have characteristic dimensions adequately represented in a 12-degree analysis.     

南海礼乐盆地新生代构造热演化特征及其影响因素

为深入认识新生代礼乐盆地的热体制特征,利用耦合岩石圈变形、热演化和沉积过程的热力学数值模型,重建了8条骨干剖面的构造热演化史,并对主要构造单元的热体制进行了分析．结果表明：张裂阶段,热流总体上随时间增加,张裂结束时,海底热流一般介于70～80mW·m~(-2),基底浅埋区热流高于邻近凹陷区内热流;裂后阶段,非礁体发育区热流逐渐降低,现今海底热流一般介于65～70mW·m~(-2),局部区域热流因岩体侵位而有所增高,礁体发育区受到礁体与周围海水热交换的影响,海底热流降低或为负值,而基底热流可以达到70mW·m~(-2)左右．进一步分析表明,礼乐盆地新生代热体制主要是在古近纪岩石圈强烈减薄基础上,叠加了晚期岩浆侵位、基底起伏、沉积过程以及海底地形等局部因素影响的结果,礁体发育区热体制还受到礁体与周围海水热交换的影响;盆地凹陷中心区生油门限深度一般介于2000～2500mbsf,门限温度介于90～110℃;礁体发育区生油门限深度明显大于邻近的北1凹陷沉积中心区．     

Terrestrial heat flow from project CESAR, Alpha Ridge, Arctic Ocean

During two months in spring, 1983, a multidisciplinary study, project CESAR, was undertaken from the sea ice across the eastern Alpha Ridge, Arctic Ocean. In the geothermal program, 10 gradiometer profiles were obtained; 63 determinations of in situ sediment thermal conductivity were obtained with the same probe, and 714 measurements of conductivity using the needle probe method were obtained on nearby core.Weighted means of the thermal conductivity of the sediment are 1.26 W/mK (in situ) and 1.34 W/mK (core), consistent with the compacted sediment encountered across the ridge and with the lithology. Calculated terrestrial heat flow values, corrected for the regional topography, range from 37 to 72 mWm⁻²; the average is 56+/−8 mWm⁻².Some temperature and heat flow versus depth profiles exhibit non-linearities that can be explained by physically reasonable (but otherwise unsubstantiated) variations in bottom water temperatures preceding the measurements; models are hypothesized that reduce the curvatures. Two heat flow values considerably higher than others in the area may be explained by higher bottom water temperature over several years, while the low value is consistent with a recent deposition from a slump. This hypothetical modelling reduces the scatter of heat flows and reduces the average to 53+/−6 mWm⁻².The CESAR heat flow is somewhat greater than expected for a purely continental fragment but is consistent with crust of oceanic origin. The heat flow is similar to values obtained in Cretaceous back-arc basins. Based on the oceanic heat flow-age relationship, the heat flow constrains the age of the ridge to 60–120 million years. The heat flow observed on other aseismic features in the world's oceans suggests that the Alpha Ridge has experienced no significant tectono-thermal event in the last 100 million years.     

Double origin of hydrothermal convective flux variations in the Fossa of Vulcano (Italy)

Soil-temperature measurements can provide information on the distribution of degassing fissures, their relationship to the internal structure of the volcano, and the temporal evolution of the system. At Vulcano Island (Italy), heat flux from a <3 km-deep magma body drives a hydrothermal system which extends across the main Fossa crater. This heat flux is also associated with variable magmatic gas flow. A high-density map of soil-temperatures was made in 1996 at a constant depth of 30 cm on the central and southern inner flanks of the Fossa crater. These measurements extended over an area covering about 0.04 km², across which the heat flux is predominantly associated with a shallow boiling aquifer. The map shows that hot zones relate to structures of higher permeability, mainly associated with a fissure system dating from the last eruptive cycle (1888–1890). From 1996 to January 2005, we studied the evolution of the heat flux for the high temperature part of the map, both by repeating our measurements as part of 14 visits, during which temperatures were measured at a constant depth, and using data from permanent stations which allowed soil-temperatures to be continuously measured for selected vertical profiles. These data allowed us to calculate the heat flux, and its variation, with good precision for values lower than about 100 W m⁻², which is generally the case in the study area. Above 100 W m⁻², although the heat flux value is underestimated, its variations are recorded with an error less than 10%. During the period 1996–2004, two increases in the thermal flux were recorded. The first one was related to the seismic crisis of November 1998 which opened existing or new fissures. The second, in November 2004, was probably due to magma migration, and was associated with minor seismic activity.     

塔里木盆地现今地热特征

地温梯度和大地热流是揭示盆地现今热状态的重要参数,它们对理解盆地的构造-热演化过程及油气资源评价等方面均具有重要意义.利用塔里木盆地约470口井的地层测试温度资料和941块岩石热导率数据,本文计算了塔里木盆地38个新的大地热流数据,进而揭示了该盆地现今地热分布特征.研究表明,塔里木盆地现今地温梯度变化范围为17～32 ℃/km,平均为22.6±3.0 ℃/km;大地热流变化范围为26.2～65.4 mW/m²,平均为43.0±8.5 mW/m².与我国其他大中型沉积盆地相比,它表现为低地温、低大地热流的冷盆的热状态,但仍具有与世界上典型克拉通盆地相似的地热背景.整体而言,盆地隆起区地温梯度和热流相对较高,坳陷区地温梯度和热流则偏低.此外,我们还发现塔里木盆地现有的油气田区一般位于高地温梯度区域,这可能与下部热流体的向上运移和聚集有关.影响塔里木盆地现今地热特征的因素包括盆地深部结构、构造演化、岩石热物理性质、盆地基底构造形态和烃类聚集等.