MODULATION OF GEOTHERMAL FLUX BY PLEISTOCENE CLIMATE CHANGES (AS APPLIED TO THE BLACK SEA)

A. Kh. Degterev

The influence of the glacial—interglacial transition on contemporary heat fluxes in the upper hundreds of meters of the earth's crust is considered. Using a numerical solution of the heat conduction equation with a nonstationary boundary condition at the top of the domain, it is shown that the climatic signal substantially distorts the distribution of temperature and its gradient at 1-km depths. Measurements of the net heat flux in this layer of the earth's crust underestimate the geothermal flux in the lower layers by several ten percent. Profiles of climatic additions for temperature and its gradient are calculated for sedimentary rocks and basalts. It is concluded that this effect may serve a cause of increased volcanic activity in the interglacial and may be one of the factors responsible for the formation of the main thermocline in the ocean.

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