Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History

Abstract Earth's heat budget is strongly influenced by spatial and temporal variations in surface heat flow caused by plate tectonic cycles. Here, we use a novel set of paleo‐seafloor age grids extending back to the mid‐Paleozoic to infer spatiotemporal variations in surface heat loss. The time...

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Main Authors: Krister S. Karlsen, Clinton P. Conrad, Mathew Domeier, Reidar G. Trønnes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-03-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL092119
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author Krister S. Karlsen
Clinton P. Conrad
Mathew Domeier
Reidar G. Trønnes
author_facet Krister S. Karlsen
Clinton P. Conrad
Mathew Domeier
Reidar G. Trønnes
author_sort Krister S. Karlsen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Earth's heat budget is strongly influenced by spatial and temporal variations in surface heat flow caused by plate tectonic cycles. Here, we use a novel set of paleo‐seafloor age grids extending back to the mid‐Paleozoic to infer spatiotemporal variations in surface heat loss. The time‐averaged oceanic heat flow is 36.6 TW, or ∼25% greater than at present‐day. Our thermal budget for the mantle indicates that 149 K/Gyr of cooling occurred over this period, consistent with geochemical estimates of mantle cooling for the past 1 Gyr. Our analysis also suggests sustained rapid cooling of the Pacific mantle hemisphere, which may have cooled ∼50 K more than its African counterpart since 400 Ma. The extra heat released from the Pacific mantle may have been trapped there by the earlier long‐lived supercontinent Rodinia (∼1.1–0.7 Ga), and the Pacific mantle may still be hotter than the African mantle today.
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publishDate 2021-03-01
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-9146aa0fe6824efea32c6c2448a4c0972025-08-20T01:48:15ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072021-03-01486n/an/a10.1029/2020GL092119Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling HistoryKrister S. Karlsen0Clinton P. Conrad1Mathew Domeier2Reidar G. Trønnes3Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics University of Oslo Oslo NorwayCentre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics University of Oslo Oslo NorwayCentre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics University of Oslo Oslo NorwayCentre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics University of Oslo Oslo NorwayAbstract Earth's heat budget is strongly influenced by spatial and temporal variations in surface heat flow caused by plate tectonic cycles. Here, we use a novel set of paleo‐seafloor age grids extending back to the mid‐Paleozoic to infer spatiotemporal variations in surface heat loss. The time‐averaged oceanic heat flow is 36.6 TW, or ∼25% greater than at present‐day. Our thermal budget for the mantle indicates that 149 K/Gyr of cooling occurred over this period, consistent with geochemical estimates of mantle cooling for the past 1 Gyr. Our analysis also suggests sustained rapid cooling of the Pacific mantle hemisphere, which may have cooled ∼50 K more than its African counterpart since 400 Ma. The extra heat released from the Pacific mantle may have been trapped there by the earlier long‐lived supercontinent Rodinia (∼1.1–0.7 Ga), and the Pacific mantle may still be hotter than the African mantle today.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL092119mantle thermal evolutionsurface heat flow
spellingShingle Krister S. Karlsen
Clinton P. Conrad
Mathew Domeier
Reidar G. Trønnes
Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History
Geophysical Research Letters
mantle thermal evolution
surface heat flow
title Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History
title_full Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History
title_fullStr Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History
title_full_unstemmed Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History
title_short Spatiotemporal Variations in Surface Heat Loss Imply a Heterogeneous Mantle Cooling History
title_sort spatiotemporal variations in surface heat loss imply a heterogeneous mantle cooling history
topic mantle thermal evolution
surface heat flow
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL092119
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AT clintonpconrad spatiotemporalvariationsinsurfaceheatlossimplyaheterogeneousmantlecoolinghistory
AT mathewdomeier spatiotemporalvariationsinsurfaceheatlossimplyaheterogeneousmantlecoolinghistory
AT reidargtrønnes spatiotemporalvariationsinsurfaceheatlossimplyaheterogeneousmantlecoolinghistory