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Heat shielding effects in the Earth’s crust

  • Geodynamics
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Abstract

Knowledge of heat flow and associated variations of temperature with depth is crucial for understanding how the Earth functions. Here, we demonstrate possible heat shielding effects that result from the occurrence of mafic intrusions/layers (granulitic rocks) within a dominantly granitic middle crust and/or ultramafic intrusions/layers (peridotitic rocks) within a dominantly granulitic lower crust; heat shielding is a familiar phenomenon in heat engineering and thermal metamaterials. Simple one-dimensional calculations suggest that heat shielding due to the intercalation of granitic, granulitic and peridotitic rocks will increase Moho temperatures substantially. This study may lead to a rethinking of numerous proposed lower crustal processes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Alan Green at ETH for refining the English text. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41530319, 41374079, 41374060), and the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences (No. MSFGPMR201309). Data in Table 1 of was from references and can be obtained in public domain. Data supporting Figs. 1–4 can be easily reproduced from the method described in detail by Furlong and Chapman (2013). The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12583-017-0744-6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Yixian Xu, Qinyan Wang & Jianghai Xia

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Yixian Xu & Yinhe Luo

  3. Hubei Subsurface Multi-Scale Imaging Key Laboratory, Institute of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Yixian Xu, Lupei Zhu, Yinhe Luo & Jianghai Xia

  4. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

    Lupei Zhu

  5. School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Qinyan Wang

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  1. Yixian Xu
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Correspondence to Qinyan Wang.

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Yixian Xu: http://orcid-org/0000-0002-1864-2058

Qinyan Wang: http://orcid-org/0000-0002-4591-6616

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Xu, Y., Zhu, L., Wang, Q. et al. Heat shielding effects in the Earth’s crust. J. Earth Sci. 28, 161–167 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-017-0744-6

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