Nature 359, 123 - 129 (10 September 1992); doi:10.1038/359123a0

A model for the global variation in oceanic depth and heat flow with lithospheric age

Carol A. Stein^* & Seth Stein^†

^*Department of Geological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60680, USA
^†Department of Geological Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA

Variations in sea-floor depth and heat flow with age provide the main constraints on the thermal structure and evolution of the oceanic lithosphere. Joint fitting of heat flow and bathymetry yields a model with a hotter, thinner lithosphere than in previous models. The new model provides a significantly better fit to the data, including those from older lithosphere previously treated as anomalous. This will facilitate the analysis of lithospheric processes, including the effects of mid-plate volcanism and swells, regional subsidence, and hydrothermal circulation near spreading centres.

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