Lithospheric Heat Flow

The heat flux coming in from the basement is modeled by coupling a thermal model of the conductive heat transfer and the radiogeneic heat production in the lower crust and the upper mantle to the thermal model of the basin. The heat flux at the basement is the sum of the conductive heat transport controlled by the hotter top-asthenosphere, the thermal conductive different upper mantle, lower crust, and upper crust, and the accumulated heat flux originating from the radiogenic heat production of the upper mantle and the lower crust.

The moho position, that separates the upper mantle and lower crust, is modeled by calculating the overburden of the basin cover and applying it to the principle of isostasy (Sharma, 1986). The moho position in the basin is also part of the simulation results and can be visualized in a map view.

The top of the asthenosphere is relatively constant, but fluctuations can be correlated to the distance between the basin and the nearest major ridge. It is constant in the interior of a plate, but becomes shallower in the vicinity of major ridges. An empirical correlation based on data from the Mid Atlantic ridge can optionally be used.

Plate movements including location of major ridges have been compiled into a database and can be retrieved by the simulation program and also depicted in the input GUI.