Antarctic Geothermal Heat Flow, Crustal Conductivity and Heat Production Inferred From Seismological Data

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: James A. N. Hazzard, Fred D. Richards
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2024
• Subjects: geothermal heat flow; seismological data; mantle structure; inverse methods; uncertainty; anelasticity; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106274; https://doaj.org/article/53a5f2820e954e63b76f801a7b3c3a6b

Abstract Geothermal heat flow is a key parameter in governing ice dynamics, via its influence on basal melt and sliding, englacial rheology, and erosion. It is expected to exhibit significant lateral variability across Antarctica. Despite this, surface heat flow derived from Earth's interior remains one of the most poorly constrained parameters controlling ice sheet evolution. To obtain a continent‐wide map of Antarctic heat supply at regional‐scale resolution, we estimate upper mantle thermomechanical structure directly from VS. Until now, direct inferences of Antarctic heat supply have assumed constant crustal composition. Here, we explore a range of crustal conductivity and radiogenic heat production values by fitting thermodynamically self‐consistent geotherms to their seismically inferred counterparts. Independent estimates of crustal conductivity derived from VP are integrated to break an observed trade‐off between crustal parameters, allowing us to infer Antarctic geothermal heat flow and its associated uncertainty.