Heat Flow in Sedimentary BasinsHeat Flow in Sedimentary Basins

Istvan CsatoUniversity of South CarolinaDepartment of Geological Sciences

Petroleum Geology Class 745Spring 2002

Heat Flow in Various Tectonic Settings

Welte et al. (1997)

Subsidence Rates of Basins

Angevine et al. (1990)

q= kg q – heat fowk – thermal conductivityg – thermal gradient

Fourier’s law:

T= To + (q/k)z

C(t) = z[kz (z)] – vzwCw (z) + A

Heat transport equation:

bulk densityC – bulk heat capacityw – fluid densityC – fluid heat capacityvz – fluid velocityA – radioactive heat generation per unit volume per unit time

Heat Flow Equations

Bottom-hole Temperature

Deming (1997)

Thermal Conductivity

Kpr = km(1-)kw

m – matrixw – pore fluid

k = 1.0 – 4.5 W/mK

Deming and Chapman (1988) Ungerer et al. (1990)

Sedimentation Rate and Heat Flow

Deming (1997)

Heat Flow and Thrusting

Wygrala et al. (1990)

Heat Flow and Salt

Heynisch et al. (1987)

Heat Flow and Fluid Flow

Willet and Chapman (1987)

Heat Flow and Fluid Flow

Majorovitz et al. (1985)

Heat Flow Data

Young (<25 Ma) rift basins: 90-120 mW/m2

Foreland basins: 50-70 mW/m2

Intracratonic basins: 30-50 mW/m2

Deming (1997)