Abstract
DETAILED measurements in a single borehole have revealed a real variation of heat flow with depth1. To determine the origin of these variations we determined a detailed profile of the U, Th and K concentrations in the rocks through which the borehole passed to estimate the heat production values. A similarity between the heat flow and heat production profiles was indeed found2 but, using the presently accepted values for the heat production constants of the common radio elements, the magnitude of the heat production variations was not sufficient to explain the magnitude of the heat flow variations.
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References
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HAMZA, V., BECK, A. Terrestrial Heat Flow, the Neutrino Problem, and a Possible Energy Source in the Core. Nature 240, 343–344 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/240343a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/240343a0
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