Vertical variation of heat flow density in the continental crust

Terrestrial heat flow density is a key parameter in understanding the past, present and future development of our planet. Most phenomena studied in deep crustal geophysics are temperature dependent and therefore reliable assesments of deep temperatures are necessary. Most heat flow measurements have been made in drill holes which are shallow (< 1 km) in comparison to the thicknesses of the crust and lithosphere. The recent findings in deep drilling projects (e.g. the Kola deep hole in Russia and the KTB hole in Germany) have yielded results which suggest that there is a distinct contrast between heat flow densities measured in the uppermost 1 km and values measured at deeper levels. The factors contributing to the vertical variation in the uppermost few kilometres are discussed with special emphasis on palaeoclimatic ground surface temperature changes and groundwater circulation in the bedrock.     

The variability of heat flow both regional and with depth in southern Alberta, Canada: Effect of groundwater flow?

Detailed studies of terrestrial heat flow in southern and central Alberta estimated on the basis of an order of magnitude larger data base than ever used before (33653 bottom-hole temperature data from 18711 wells) and thermal conductivity values based on detailed rock studies and measured rock conductivities show significant regional and local variations and variations with depth. Heat flow values were estimated for each 3 × 3 township/range area (28.8 × 28.8 km). A difference in heat flow exists between Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata. Generally lower heat flow values are observed in the strata above the Paleozoic erosional surface (20–75 mW m⁻²). Much higher values are estimated for the Younger Paleozoic formations, with large local and regional variations between 40 and 100 mW m⁻².Average heat flow values based on heat flow determinations below and above the Paleozoic surface that agree within 20% show an increase from values less than 40 mW m⁻² in southern and southwestern Alberta to values as high as 70 mW m⁻² in central Alberta. The predominance of regional downward groundwater flows in Mesozoic strata seem to be responsible for the generally observed heat flow increase with depth.The results show that the basin heat flow pattern is influenced by water movement and even careful detailed heat flow measurements will not give correct values of background steady-state heat flow within the sedimentary strata.     

热带西太平洋碳酸盐溶跃深度及其变化规律

碳酸盐的溶解与保存是全球碳循环的重要组成部分,研究碳酸盐溶解作用对探索碳循环机制、理解全球气候变化机理等具有重要意义。本文通过西太平洋暖池核心区雅浦海沟南部附近海域108个表层沉积物和3个柱状沉积物样品中浮游有孔虫、底栖有孔虫和碳酸钙含量等变化特征分析了海底碳酸盐溶跃深度、补偿深度及其自中更新世以来的变化规律。表层沉积物碳酸盐含量、浮游与底栖有孔虫丰度、底栖有孔虫占有孔虫全群比例、底栖有孔虫群中胶结质壳比例等多种指标变化表明,本区现代碳酸盐溶跃面(carbonate lysocline depth, CLD)位于水深3800m附近,碳酸盐补偿深度(carbonate compensation depth, CCD)约为4800m。柱状样有孔虫溶解指数(foraminifera dissolution index, FDX)的变化表明,冰期碳酸盐溶解作用减弱,碳酸盐溶跃面和补偿深度变深;冰消期碳酸盐溶解作用增强,溶跃面和补偿深度变浅。位于现代溶跃面附近的柱状岩心碳酸盐含量呈现冰期高、间冰期低的"太平洋型"旋回特征,同时古生产力替代性指标的变化曲线与碳酸盐含量没有明显的相关性,说明中更新世...     

The problem of heat flow density determination from inaccurate data

We present an inverse method for processing rough data from oil wells in order to evaluate the heat flow density. Assuming that the evaluations of temperatures and thermal resistivities present gaussian uncertainties, we give formulas for computing the optimal value of the heat flow density and its standard deviation. A synthetic example, using likely assumptions on various uncertainties, leads to the prediction that a standard deviation of about 10 mW m^?2 could apply to heat flow estimates from oil well data for typical situations.     

基于居里面深度对中国东北部大地热流的研究

大地热流值是表征地球热状态的重要参数,也是进行深部地温预测和评价一个地区地热资源的最基本数据。受钻孔测温的影响,盆地外的无钻孔测温地区缺少实测的大地热流值。目前的热流分布图都是依据相邻盆地的实测值进行插值绘制的,无钻孔区热流值可信度较低。由于岩石居里点与温度密切相关,可以通过居里面深度来研究地表热流值。本文依据东北地区现有的居里面深度分布图,结合实测的岩石热导率、岩石生热率数据和相应的地壳分层状况,计算了东北地区的大地热流值,重新绘制了中国东北地区精细的大地热流分布图。东北地区整体大地热流处于42.5~95 mW/m 2 之间,热流高值位于五大连池及敦化 密山断裂带海龙—牡丹江一带,松辽盆地内部、小兴安岭和长春 延吉缝合带也有局部的高热流值。热流高值与居里面隆起区域有较高的一致性,即居里面隆起处热流较高,而坳陷区热流较低。本次研究填补了中国东部地区热流实测值空白,为该区深部地温预测和地热资源评价提供了更加准确的参数。     

Cooling in rifting sequences during increasing burial depth due to heat flow decrease

Two case histories are presented to give evidences for sediment cooling during increasing burial depth due to heat flow decrease at the end of crustal stretching in extensional settings. The first refers to the Lower Cretaceous succession accumulated in a strongly subsiding trough within the Sirt Basin (Libya); the second relates to the Mesozoic succession of the Lombardian Basin (NW Italy) formed during Late Triassic–Early Jurassic rifting of the northern margin of the Adriatic microplate. In both cases, heat flow decreasing at the end of crustal stretching overbalanced the thermal effect of increasing burial depth causing a net cooling of rocks. These examples provide an alternative to exhumation for explaining cooling events recorded by rifting sedimentary sequences.     

Numerical simulation of response of groundwater flow system in inland basin to density changes

The developmental characteristics of groundwater flow system are not only controlled by formation lithology and groundwater recharge conditions, but also influenced by the physical properties of fluids. Numerical simulation is an effective way to study groundwater flow system. In this paper, the ideal model is generalized according to the fundamental characteristics of groundwater system in inland basins of Western China. The simulation method of variable density flow on the development of groundwater system in inland basins is established by using EOS9 module in TOUGHREACT numerical simulation software. In accordance with the groundwater streamline, the groundwater flow system is divided into three levels, which are regional groundwater flow system, intermediate groundwater flow system and local groundwater flow system. Based on the calculation of the renewal rate of groundwater, the analysis shows that the increase of fluid density in the central part of the basin will restrain the development of regional groundwater flow system, resulting in a decrease of the circulation rate from 32.28% to 17.62% and a certain enhancement to the local groundwater flow system, which increased from 37.29% to 51.94%.     

New heat flow data from the immediate vicinity of the Kola super-deep borehole: Vertical variation in heat flow confirmed and attributed to advection

We present new heat flow values and other geothermal data in the upper crystalline crust in the immediate vicinity of the 12.4-km deep Kola super-deep borehole, NW Russia. Our results show a systematic vertical increase in geothermal gradient and heat flow density as deep as we could measure (1.6 km). Our results confirm earlier results on vertical heat flow trends of in the uppermost part of the Kola super-deep hole, and imply that the thermal regime is not in steady-state conductive conditions. In an area of 3-km × 5-km measurements were performed in 1–2-km deep boreholes surrounding the Kola super-deep hole and on core samples from these holes. Temperature logs are available from 36 holes. Core data exists from 23 boreholes with a total length of 11.5 km at a vertical resolution of 10 m. We carried out a very detailed study on thermal conductivity with regard to anisotropy, inhomogeneity and temperature dependence. Tensor components of thermal conductivity were determined on 1375 core samples from 21 boreholes in 3400 measurements. Additionally, we measured specific heat capacity, heat generation rate, density, porosity, and permeability on selected subsets of core samples. Heat flow from 19 boreholes varies between 31 and 45 mW m⁻² with an average value of 38 mW m⁻². In most boreholes the vertical heat flow profiles show a considerable variation with depth. This is consistent with observations in the upper part of the Kola super-deep borehole. We conclude that this variation is not caused by technical operations but reflects a natural process. It is considered to be due to a combination of advective, structural and paleoclimatic effects. Preliminary 3-D numerical modeling of heat and flow in the study area provides an indication of relative contributions of each of these factors: advective heat transfer turns out to have a major influence on the vertical variation of heat flow, although transient changes in surface temperature may also cause a significant variation. Heterogeneity of the rocks in the study area is less important.     

Glacier change and glacier runoff variation in the Tuotuo River basin,the source region of Yangtze River in western China

Glaciers in the Tuotuo River basin, western China, have been monitored in recent decades by applying topographical maps and high-resolution satellite images. Results indicate that most of glaciers in the Tuotuo River basin have retreated in the period from 1968/1971 to 2001/2002, and their shrinkage area is 3.2% of the total area in the late 1960s. To assess the influence of glacier runoff on river runoff, a modified degree–day model including potential clear-sky direct solar radiation has been applied to the glaciated regions of the river basin over the period 1961–2004. It was found that glacier runoff has increased in the last 44 years, especially in the 1990s when a two-thirds increase in river runoff was derived from the increase in glacier runoff caused by loss of ice mass in the entire Tuotuo River basin.     

Estimates of heat flow from Cenozoic seafloor using global depth and age data

The total heat output of the Earth constrains models of mantle and core dynamics. Previously published estimates (42–44 TW) have recently been questioned because the measured conductive heat flow on young oceanic lithosphere is about a factor of 2 less than the expected heat flow based on half-space cooling models. Taking the conductive ocean heat flow values at face value reduces the global heat flow from 44 to 31 TW, which has major implications for geodynamics and Earth history. To help resolve this issue, we develop a new method of estimating total oceanic heat flow from depth and age data. The overall elevation of the global ridge system, relative to the deep ocean basins, provides an independent estimate of the total heat content of the lithosphere. Heat flow is proportional to the measured subsidence rate times the heat capacity divided by the thermal expansion coefficient. The largest uncertainty in this method is due to uncertainties in the thermal expansion coefficient and heat capacity. Scalar subsidence rate is computed from gradients of depth and age grids. The method cannot be applied over very young seafloor (< 3 Ma) where age gradient is discontinuous and the assumption of isostasy is invalid. Between 3 and 66 Ma, the new estimates are in agreement with half-space cooling model. Our model-independent estimate of the total heat output of Cenozoic seafloor is 18.6 to 20.5 TW, which leads to a global output of 42 to 44 TW in agreement with previous studies.     

On the regional variation of heat flow, geotherms, and lithospheric thickness

Geotherm families in which surface heat flow is the principal independent variable have been constructed for continental and oceanic lithospheres. The continental model is characterized by geotherms in which surface heat flow is in equilibrium with heat flowing into the lithosphere at its base plus heat generated by radioactive decay within the lithosphere. The model accommodates the regional variation of the surface heat flow with proportional variations in the radioactivity of the surficial enriched zone and in the deeper heat flow. The proportionality is dictated by a new and general linear relationship between reduced heat flow and mean heat flow for a region ( ), which enables both q^* and the mean heat production of the enriched zone to be estimated from knowledge of the mean surface heat flow of a province. The oceanic model is characterized by the transient cooling of a semi-infinite medium with an initial temperature gradient and some near-surface radiogenic heat production. The model yields a heat flow in satisfactory agreement with observations in the oldest ocean basins. The depth at which both the oceanic and continental geotherms reach ~0.85 of the melting temperature is shown to be a consistent estimator of the depth to the top of the low-velocity channel, or the thickness of the high-velocity lid overlying the channel. We identify the lid as synonymous with the lithosphere, and produce a global map of lithospheric thickness based on the regional variation of surface heat flow. The lithosphere is less than 100 km thick over most of the globe, but thickens appreciably and becomes more viscous beneath the Precambrian shields and platforms, regions of low heat flow. These characteristics of shields are consistent with recently reported models of the driving mechanisms of the plate system, which require greater retarding forces beneath plates with large continental areas.     

Molecular characterization of organic matter in sediments from the Keg River formation (Elk Point group), western Canada sedimentary basin

Distributions of free and sulfur-bound biomarkers in organic-rich sediments from the lower and upper Keg River formation (Elk Point group, western Canada) reveal deposition of these sediments under reducing conditions, in agreement with the geological data. The predominance of aryl isoprenoids of Chlorobiaceae origin indicates that photic zone anoxia occurred during time of deposition. A series of novel aryl isoprenoids with a carboxylic acid function was identified by GC–MS and the structure of the predominant 3-methyl-5-(2′,3′,6′-trimethylphenyl)pentanoate was proven by synthesis of an authentic standard. The occurrence of these acids gives evidence that oxidative breakdown at least partially accounts for the diagenetic fate of aromatic carotenoids. Li/EtNH₂ desulfurization of two kerogen concentrates yielded only low amounts of sulfur-bound hydrocarbons, and suggests that either sulfur sequestration was not a predominant process or, more probably, that a major part of the hydrocarbons, initially sulfurized, were released upon maturation, giving further evidence that (poly)sulfide bonds are cleaved at relatively low levels of thermal stress.     

西秦岭三叠纪沉积盆地演化

笔者在概要介绍了西秦岭三叠系的分布与建造特征、沉积环境、生物区系特征，三叠系的构造形变特征以及与相邻地质体的形变差异性的基础上，论述了该区在中三叠世短暂的地质发展演化过程中，由扬子型稳定浅海碳酸盐岩沉积快速演变为特提斯型深海巨厚复理石沉积的演化历史，讨论了特提斯型裂陷槽由裂开接受沉积—关闭结束沉积。快速关闭并褶皱形变这一完整演化过程中的构造特征，总结了三叠系的盆地演化规律。     

Heat flow variation with depth in Poland: evidence from equilibrium temperature logs in 2.9-km-deep well Torun-1

High-precision temperature measurements were carried out up to a depth of 2,930 m in the 5.5-km-deep well Torun-1, 26 years after completion of drilling. The temperature log provides equilibrium thermal state information for the Polish Lowland at the western margin of the Precambrian craton. Geothermal gradient calculated from the equilibrium temperature log, together with estimates of thermal conductivity from ‘net rock’ geophysical well logging analysis and available core measurements, yields heat flow in the range 50–60 mW/m² below 2-km depth. Heat flow of 50 mW/m² plus ∼10 mW/m² generated within thick sediments and highly metamorphosed sedimentary wedge is typical for the western margin of the Precambrian East European craton. Heat-flow variations with depth can be explained by a model of surface-temperature changes >10°C (glaciation to Holocene). Torun-1 Working Group: Marta Wróblewska, Jacek Majorowicz, Jan Szewczyk, Jan Šafanda, Vladimír Cermák     

川西松潘-甘孜弧前盆地的形成及演化

地处柴南缘昆中蛇绿杂岩带与羌塘地块北缘可可西里-金沙江古缝合线之间的松潘-甘孜褶皱带(包括东昆仑构造带),其主体应属古特提斯洋晚石炭世-晚三叠世时期向其北侧的柴达木古陆南缘俯冲过程中在活动陆缘弧-沟间隙之间增生形成的一个大型弧前构造带。具有由弧前盆地沉积楔和基底增生杂岩构成的双重结构特点,其形成与冈瓦纳大陆北缘若尔盖"三角"地块的楔入及俯冲带向南迁移有关。大致经历了晚石炭世-早三叠世狭窄弧前盆地和中晚三叠世宽阔弧前盆地两个主要演化阶段。     

Implications for conifer glacial refugia and postglacial climatic variation in western Beringia from lake sediments of the Upper Indigirka basin

A c. 13 800 cal. a BP palynological record from Tschuch'ye Lake (eastern Yakutia), when combined with other palaeobotanical records from western Beringia, supports previous conclusions that Larix and Pinus pumila spread from multiple cryptic refugia during the Lateglacial period and middle Holocene, respectively. The antiquity and spatial distribution of Larix in many of these records suggest that full‐glacial landscapes probably had a small but important tree component. The Tschuch'ye record further indicates the absence of a Younger Dryas climatic reversal and is in accord with the preponderance of other data from western Beringia, which indicate warmer than present climates between c. 12 900 and 9100 cal. a BP. The subsequent spread of Pinus pumila, which has similar temperature requirements as Larix, denotes a shift to wetter but still warm climates during the middle Holocene, with palynological data suggesting optimal conditions in far western areas of western Beringia c. 7000–5000 cal. a BP. The postglacial occurrence of relatively warm/dry and warm/wet intervals is consistent with results of a regional climate‐model simulation that indicates warmer than present temperatures and decreased effective moisture at 11 000 cal. a BP and persistence of warm conditions but with greater moisture and longer growing season at 6000 cal. a BP.     

大地热流研究揭示的中国地壳成分横向变化

依据大地热流值、地壳厚度以及大陆壳／幔热流比与地下流体氦同位素比值的相关关系，计算出中国主要构造单元地壳生热率。同时，根据Rudnick和Fountain(1995）的数据得到地壳生热率和SiO2质量分数的线性关系，进而利用生热率数据得到地壳SiO2质量分数。此方法得到的中国东部地壳生热率和SiO2质量分数与基于地震波速的成分模型相符。中国大陆地壳生热率和SiO2质量分数横向变化明显，东部地区地壳为中性成分，相对富集强不相容元素；而西北部盆地地壳成分偏于中基性。华北、扬子和塔里木地壳成分差异较大，克拉通内部表现出明显的成分非均匀性，褶皱带地壳一般较克拉通略富长英质组分。     

Analysis of factors affecting heat flow density determination in the Liaohe Basin,North China

Structural relief of the pre-Cenozoic basement and groundwater flow have been found to be the two most important factors affecting the heat flow density determinations in the Liaohe Basin. The reason for the significant effect of basement relief upon subsurface temperature and heat flow density patterns is the strong contrast of thermal conductivity between basement rock and the sedimentary cover. Simplified model computations indicate that the heat flow density in the region of basement uplift is 1.35 times greater than that in the region of depressions. Field observations indicate that the temperatures at shallow depths (less than 1200 m) are strongly perturbed by groundwater flow leading to reduced temperatures and geothermal gradients in the Neogene formation. Comparison of observed and calculated gradients reveals that reduced gradients and heat flow density occur in the groundwater recharge area whereas these parameters are enhanced in the discharge area. After taking the perturbing factors into account, a regional heat flow value of 65 ± 9 mW/m² is obtained.