The Thermal Structure of Continental Lithosphere: a Review

Abstract

The rapidly increasing interest in geothermal energy in Australia, and hot fractured rock (HFR) technology in particular, follows a national and worldwide spurt of research into the thermal properties of plates (e.g., Swenson et al., 2000; Neumann et al., 2000). Much of the interest in geothermal energy is due to the recognition of Australia’s particular suitability for HFR energy generation, highlighted by Swenson et al. (2000) and again by McLaren et al. (2003). However, both our understanding of heat flow in the crust and the Australian dataset are still in their infancy. Further investigation of the bigger picture will once again provide valuable information about geothermal prospectivity.