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Cited by 268High-pressure geophysics and materialsAstro and Planetary ScienceGeological and Geochemical Analysis

Calculations on the thermal history of the Earth

MacDonald, Gordon J. F.·1959·Journal of Geophysical Research
DOI 10.1029/jz064i011p01967
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Abstract

The possible thermal history of a spherically symmetric earth is studied by comparing numerical calculations of the development of temperature within a number of model earths with observations on the present thermal state of the earth. The pertinent observations are the following: (1) The average surface heat flow is 50 ergs/cm2 sec. (2) The mantle of the earth is solid. (3) The electrical conductivity increases rapidly in the outer few hundred kilometers of the earth. It is shown that models which incorporate a wide range of initial conditions and distributions of radioactivity reproduce in a qualitative fashion the electrical conductivity of the earth. Models which have a radioactive content equal to an earth composed of chondritic meteorites reproduce the present surface heat flow to within a factor of 2. This is a consequence of the near coincidence of the present rate of heat production in a chondritic earth and the heat flux of the actual earth. The variability in heat flow among models is due to varying contributions of ‘initial heat,’ higher rate of radioactive heat production in the past, and the depth of burial of heat sources. The solid nature of the mantle provides a further qualitative restraint on possible earth models. However, a lack of experimental data on melting relations at high pressures precludes detailed conclusions. The general features of temperature-depth curves are similar for many models in which energy is transmitted by radiation as well as by ordinary lattice conduction. The gradient of temperature is high near the surface but decreases within the earth as the effective conductivity increases with increasing temperature. The melting temperature is most closely approached or exceeded in the outer few hundred kilometers of the earth. The variation of surface heat flow with time is examined. It is shown that the surface heat flow is constant in time for a wide range of models, provided that heat is transmitted solely by radiation and conduction.

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  • Slichter (1941) and MacDonald (1959) both observed that slow mantle mass motions would make vertical heat transport by convection outweigh conduction.

    “However, both Slichter (1941) and MacDonald (1959) noted that the vertical convection of heat would dominate conduction if slow mass motions occur in the mantle”

    From Speculations on the Thermal and Tectonic History of the Earth (2007) · cites this paper as MacDonald (1959)

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Authors
MacDonald, G. J. F.
Corresponding author
MacDonald, Gordon J. F.
Venue
Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Published
1959-11
Volume
64
Issue
11
Pages
1967-2000
ISSN
0148-0227 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1029/jz064i011p01967
OpenAlex
W2121744196
Cited by
268
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
FWCI
24.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 20393 d)
Locations
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › High-pressure geophysics and materials
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
Keywords
surface heat flow, radiogenic heat production, chondritic meteorites, temperature-depth profiles, mantle melting

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