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Continental Geotherms |
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b) |
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Basal Heat Flow (Qm) |
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| The graph a) illustrates the sensitivity of the geotherm to the basal heat flow. A basal heat flow of 12 x 10-3 W.m-2 is characteristic of cratonic area, whereas a basal heat of 36 10-3 W.m-2 is representative of thinned lithosphere. |
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| Conductivity (k) |
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| The graph b) illustrates the sensitivity of the geotherm to the thermal conductivity (W.m-1.K-1). The conductivity is known to vary with temperature. Here we assume that k is constant through depth. k measures the ability of material to conduct heat. The more conductive is the material the less heat it can store. |
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