Factors determining the temperature evolution of thermally convecting earth models

Abstract

The thermal history of the Earth is posed as a problem in convection theory. The concept of stabilisation temperature is introduced and its significance for the cooling process is assessed. The rapidity of heat transport at higher temperatures combined with the fact that stabilisation temperatures are only half the melting temperature, cf. the classical literature of cooling from a “hot origin”, makes present temperatures relatively insensitive to initial conditions.