International heat flow commission celebrates 40 years

Eos, Earth and Space Science News
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Abstract

The outflow of heat from the Earth's interior is, in terms of energy, the most impressive terrestrial phenomenon. Its present rate of about 1021 joules per year is order‐of‐magnitudes greater than the energy dissipation of earthquakes or heat loss from volcanic eruptions. The study of the Earth's internal heat plays an important role in understanding the Earth's origin, internal constitution, and plate tectonics.

The thermal structure of the Earth, generally referred to as the geothermics, or also as the (terrestrial) heat flow, has been studied for a long time. However, modern geothermics, one of the fundamental geophysical disciplines, is relatively young. The International Heat Flow Commission (IHFC), under which the academic geothermal research on the international scale is organized, was created only in 1963. The IHFC, operating under the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI), covers a broad scope of geophysical studies, and links the activities of other associations of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title International heat flow commission celebrates 40 years
Series title Eos, Earth and Space Science News
DOI 10.1029/2004EO020002
Volume 85
Issue 2
Year Published 2004
Language English
Publisher Wiley
Description 7 p.
First page 13
Last page 19
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