Thermophysical properties of plagioclase amphibolite at high temperatures and pressures and its geophysical implications

Abstract

The thermal conductivity (κ) and thermal diffusivity (D) of plagioclase amphibolite were measured via the transient heat-source method at 298–773 K and 0.5–3.0 GPa, respectively. The experimental results show that the κ and D of the plagioclase amphibolite decrease with increasing temperature but slightly increase with pressure. Combining geothermal parameters with the present results, we calculated the average geothermal gradient curve under North China. Our estimation showed the average depth of the thermal lithosphere in North China might be 95 km.