Geothermal heat flow from borehole measurements at the margin of Princess Elizabeth Land (East Antarctic Ice Sheet)

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Pavel G. Talalay, Da Gong, Xiaopeng Fan, Yazhou Li, German Leitchenkov, Bing Li, Nan Zhang, Rusheng Wang, Yang Yang, Jialin Hong
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2023
• Subjects: glaciological instruments and methods; ice temperature; subglacial exploration geophysics; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Antarctic; East Antarctic Ice Sheet; Princess Elizabeth Land; Zhongshan; Zhongshan Station; Antarc*; Ice Sheet; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.43; https://doaj.org/article/36132d461103449585673d1e4bd886b7

A 198.8 m deep borehole was drilled through ice to subglacial bedrock in the northwestern marginal part of Princess Elizabeth Land, ~12 km south of Zhongshan Station, in January–February 2019. Three years later, in February 2022, the borehole temperature profile was measured, and the geothermal heat flow (GHF) was estimated using a 1-D time-dependent energy-balance equation. For a depth corresponding to the base of the ice sheet, the GHF was calculated as 72.6 ± 2.3 mW m−2 and temperature −4.53 ± 0.27°C. The regional averages estimated for this area based, generally, on tectonic setting vary from 55 to 66 mW m−2. A higher GHF is interpreted to originate mostly from the occurrence of metamorphic complexes intruded by heat-producing elements in the subglacial bedrock below the drill site.