Heat flow structure in the Paleozoides of the Central Asian Fold Belt

Heat generation produced by radioactive decay of long-lived isotopes in the Earth’s crust (radiogenic heat flow) within the Paleozoic provinces of the Central Asian Fold Belt is considered. Heat flow from the mantle is calculated as the difference between the observed heat flow and the radiogenic flow. The major cause of this heat flow is the transition of potential energy of gravity differentiation into heat; in this respect, mantle heat flow is called gravigenic. Calculation shows that the fractions of radiogenic and gravigenic heat flows in the Paleozoides studied are nearly equal.