Curie Point Depth Contours for Yukon Heat Flow Analysis

2026 data from the Government of Yukon provides Curie point depth (CPD) contours at 1 km intervals, demarcating 95% of Yukon into shallow and deep CPD regions. The mapping was derived from public aeromagnetic data using two methodologies and window sizes, with results broadly consistent across methods and correlated with surface heat flow measurements.

Use Cases

• Correlate shallow CPD contour regions with elevated surface heat flow measurements to validate geothermal potential models.
• Analyze the spatial relationship between CPD depth values (shallow vs. deep) and geological units like the Cordillera or Ancestral North America platform rocks.
• Combine CPD grid data with other datasets like heat generation and sediment thickness estimates to identify prospective regions for subsurface heat.

Strengths

• Covers 95% of Yukon territory, providing near-complete spatial demarcation of heat flow regions.
• Results are broadly consistent across two different CPD calculation methodologies and two window sizes (200 km and 300 km).
• Contours are provided at a detailed 1 km interval resolution from the gridded data.

Limitations

• CPD estimates for south-central Yukon are noted to be systematically too deep by 2 to 12 km, indicating a methodological bias.
• The dataset requires combination with other data (e.g., heat generation) for full prospective analysis, as stated in the description.

Provenance

Source

Government of Yukon, distributed via GeoYukon.

Collection Method

Derived from public domain aeromagnetic data from Natural Resources Canada using two Curie point depth methodologies.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Yukon, Canada.