Heat flow from the earth's interior - Analysis of the global data set

The history of acquisition of terrestrial heat flow data is reviewed, and the extensive present-day data compilation is described. An empirical method is then presented for estimating heat flow in surveyed areas, leading to a global analysis of the heat flow from continents, oceans, and the earth as a whole. The heat flow field is displayed as a map constructed from the low-degree spherical harmonic components of the global field, and the harmonic spectrum of the heat flow is compared with the earth's gravity and magnetic fields and topography. Finally, the implications of the surface heat flow for the temperature structure at shallow depths within the earth and its relationship to seismic shear wave velocity distribution and the thickness of the lithosphere are discussed.