Heat Flow in the Northeastern Continental Margin of Russia

Abstract

Abstract —This work is set out to summarize, analyze and revisit results of the geothermal studies carried out in Northeast Russia. A catalog of measured heat flow values has been compiled, and on its basis a map of the region’s heat flow distribution has been constructed. Geodynamic activity of the tectonic structures in Northeast Russia, their thermal regime in which the heat flow is a critical indicator, is largely determined by the interaction between the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates and smaller-order plates located in the northeastern part of the Asian continent. The areas of interaction between the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates are marked by the Arctic-Asian seismic belt, which is characterized by intense orogenesis, modern volcanism, active seismicity, diverse geothermal regimes, and large heterogeneity of measured heat flow values. On the Chukotka Peninsula, the helium isotope method was used to estimate heat flow values. It is proposed to consider the class of geodynamic activity of tectonic structures as one of the factors of the geothermal regime.