Claude Jaupart on Whether the Earth is Cooling Down
Claude Jaupart is Professor of Geophysics at the University of Paris and the Institut de Physique du Globe. His research aims to understand the physics of igneous processes in the Earth, such as those occurring in volcanic eruptions, magma chambers, and the mantle. He reveals how heat flow out of the Earth is highly variable on all spatial scales and that Earth has been cooling slowly for the past 2 billion years at least, which still leaves plenty of heat to drive today’s plate motions and volcanism.
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Podcast Illustrations
All images courtesy of Claude Jaupart unless otherwise indicated
Making a heat flow measurement down a deep borehole in the far north of Canada. Claude Jaupart describes the steps that need to be taken to ensure that an accurate measurement of the Earth’s heat flow is obtained.
Collecting borehole rock samples for thermal conductivity measurements back in the lab.
Borehole site in northern Canada on the Hudson Strait.
Borehole at the Hudson Strait site showing the cable that connects to the temperature-measuring device that is lowered down the borehole. While most borehole measurements are conducted at depths of a few hundred meters to a thousand meters, the deepest boreholes reach depths of 2.5 km.
An Arctic fox keeps Claude Jaupart’s team company for a day.
Deploying a Bullard probe for measuring heat flow in sediments on the sea floor.
History of the Earth’s mantle temperature as determined from analysis of lava compositions.
Map of the heat flux in North America.
Temperature profiles down two deep boreholes in Canada.