How can heat flow heat up
geoneutrino science?
Scott A. Wipperfurth
University of Maryland-College Park

Bird et al. 2008

IntroductionLess

𝝂𝒆/𝒔
𝒄𝒎𝟐

Antineutrino Global Map (AGM15)

Usman et al., 2015

~ Less U, Th, K atoms
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

More𝝂𝒆/𝒔
𝒄𝒎𝟐~ More U, Th, K atoms
Heat Flow

26 October 20162

Global Reference ModelContinental

Oceanic

Continental
Crust (CC)

Lithospheric
Mantle (LM)

Huang et al., 2013
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 20163

Global Reference Model

Huang et al., 2013

UCMCLCU(ppm)
2.32
1.52
0.65

Th(ppm)
10.5
4.86
0.96

K(wt%)
2.70
0.97
0.16
IceWaterS. SedH. SedUC
MCLC

MantleJocher et al., 2013
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 2016

4

Heat Flow
Earth surface heat flow = 46 ±2 TW (Davies and Davies, 2010)(Davies and Davies, 2010)~ 60,000 measurements (35,000 continental & 25,000 Oceanic)
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 2016

5

Heat Flow
(CRUST 1.0)

Green = 55 mW/m2
Blue = 25 mW/m2

CrustThickness(CRUST 1.0)
Scale

ScaleRed = 90 mW/m2

Red = 80 km
Green = 50 km
Blue = 20 km

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 2016

6Heat Flow
(CRUST 1.0)

Green = 55 mW/m2
Blue = 25 mW/m2

Heat Flow(Davies 2013)

Red = 90 mW/m2
Scale

Scale

Red = 90 mW/m2

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

Green = 55 mW/m2

Blue = 25mW/m2
26 October 20167

Delta Map
Positive
100%

No
Difference

Negative
100%
Negative = Overestimating heat flow with Reference Model
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 20168

Model Architecture
Q0 = Surface heat flow
Q1 = Heat flow from UC

Q2 = Heat flow fromMC + LC
Q3 = Heat flow across
Moho

Q1 = Q0 – Q 2 – Q3

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 20169

Spatial Heterogeneity of Models

Upper Crust

Middle Crust

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201610

Model Architecture

All Continental Crust
Archean + Proterozoic Crust
Archean Crust
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201611

Results: Archean + Proterozoic
Uranium Concentration in UC
Moho Q3 = 15 mW/m2
Avg. U = 3.66 ppm

Moho Q3 = 30 mW/m2
Avg. U = 2.00 ppm

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201612

Results: Archean Only
Uranium Concentration in UC
Moho Q3 = 15 mW/m2
Avg. U = 2.99 ppm

Moho Q3 = 30 mW/m2
Avg. U = 1.43 ppm

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201613

Mass-weighted U abundance (ppm)

Moho Heat Flow (mW/m2)
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201614

Calculate Q3 directly?
Seismic shear wave velocity variation at 250km depth

𝑽𝒔 =𝝁𝝆

French et al., 2013

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201615

Calculate Q3 directly?

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201616

Exploit Q/A relationships?

Regional Scale (250x250km)

Local Scale

Craton Scale

Lévy et al., 2010
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201617

Exploit Q/A relationships?

All Continental Crust
Archean + Proterozoic Crust
Archean Crust
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201618

Heat Flow with other data

Join inversion of P & S wave
travel times, surface waves,geoid height, gravity
anomalies, surface heat flow,
and elevation
Afonso et al. 2016
Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 201619

Conclusions
1. Magnitude of surface heat flow significantly controlled by UC heat production• Theoretically we can inverse-model surface heat flow for crustal heatproduction

2. Heat flow modeling has many unknowns leading to large assumptions• How does heat production change with depth?
• What is the heat flow across the Moho?
• What is the extent of horizontal heat flow?
• On what scales can we model accurately?

3. Heat flow inverse modeling has great potential, but the road will be bumpy…
• Possibility to provide knowledge on the distribution of U, Th, and K in thecontinental crust= better geoneutrino prediction

Scott A. Wipperfurth - UMD

Heat Flow

26 October 2016

20

21

References
Afonso, J.C., Rawlinson, N., Yang, Y., Schutt, D.L., Jones, A.G., Fullea, J., Griffin, W.L., 2016. 3-D multiobservable
probabilistic inversion for the compositional and thermal structure of the lithosphere and upper mantle III:
Thermochemical Tomography in the Western-Central US: THERMOCHEMICAL TOMOGRAPHY WESTERN US. J.
Geophys. Res. Solid Earth. doi:10.1002/2016JB013049
Bird, P., Liu, Z., Rucker, W.K., 2008. Stresses that drive the plates from below: Definitions, computational path, model
optimization, and error analysis. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 113, B11406. doi:10.1029/2007JB005460
Davies, J.H., 2013. Global map of solid Earth surface heat flow: Global Surface Heat Flow Map. Geochem. Geophys.
Geosystems 14, 4608–4622. doi:10.1002/ggge.20271
Davies, J.H., Davies, D.R., 2010. Earth’s surface heat flux. Solid Earth 1, 5–24. doi:10.5194/se-1-5-2010
French, S., Lekic, V., Romanowicz, B., 2013. Waveform Tomography Reveals Channeled Flow at the Base of the Oceanic
Asthenosphere. Science 342, 227–230. doi:10.1126/science.1241514

Huang, Y., Chubakov, V., Mantovani, F., Rudnick, R.L., McDonough, W.F., 2013. A reference Earth model for the heatproducing elements and associated geoneutrino flux. Geochem. Geophys. Geosystems 14, 2003–2029.
doi:10.1002/ggge.20129
Jaupart, C., Mareschal, J.-C., Iarotsky, L., 2016. Radiogenic heat production in the continental crust. Lithos 262, 398–427. doi:10.1016/j.lithos.2016.07.017
Jocher, G.R., Bondy, D.A., Dobbs, B.M., Dye, S.T., Georges, J.A., Learned, J.G., Mulliss, C.L., Usman, S., 2013. Theoreticalantineutrino detection, direction and ranging at long distances. Phys. Rep. 527, 131–204.
doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2013.01.005
King, S.D., 2005. Archean cratons and mantle dynamics. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 234, 1–14.
doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2005.03.007
Lévy, F., Jaupart, C., Mareschal, J.-C., Bienfait, G., Limare, A., 2010. Low heat flux and large variations of lithosphericthickness in the Canadian Shield. J. Geophys. Res. 115. doi:10.1029/2009JB006470
Usman, S.M., Jocher, G.R., Dye, S.T., McDonough, W.F., Learned, J.G., 2015. AGM2015: Antineutrino Global Map 2015.
Sci. Rep. 5, 13945. doi:10.1038/srep13945

22