Regionalized models for the thermal evolution of the Earth

Traditional models for the heat loss in oceanic and continental regions are combined into a regionalized model for the thermal evolution of the Earth. The need for regionalization is obvious when one considers that the mantle loses 3 to 4 times as much heat per unit area in oceanic regions than in continental areas. The present-day rate of heat loss together with a geochemical estimate of the concentration of heat-producing elements in the Earth fixes the response time of the thermally convecting mantle. The response time in turn can be used to select the most reasonable representation for mantle convection in terms of the sensitivity of viscosity on temperature and layering versus mantle-wide circulation. Present geochemical estimates of the bulk composition of the Earth are most easily reconciled with the observed heat flow if the mantle is layered and its rheology is slightly less temperature dependent than generally assumed. The layered system can produce sufficiently high temperatures to explain the high-magnesian komatiites of the Archean. One difficulty with the models is that they predict widespread melting at shallow depth in the early stages of Earth history but do not address how such melting affects and alters the heat transfer mechanisms.