East Antarctic Sub-Glacial Heat Flow from Hot Rock Distribution

Research data on the distribution of 'hot rocks' containing uranium, thorium, and potassium in East Antarctica, which generate heat through radioactive decay. The dataset, associated with a paper in the Journal of the Geological Society, London, includes heat production values ranging from 0.02 to 66 µW per cubic meter along a 275 km Prydz Bay coastline transect. This information is intended to improve ice sheet models by incorporating variable sub-glacial heat flow.

Use Cases

• Improving ice sheet model predictions based on variable sub-glacial heat flow data.
• Analyzing regional ice stream and surging behavior based on elevated geothermal heat zones.
• Mapping the distribution of heat-producing granites under the ice sheet based on aeromagnetic data.
• Calibrating crustal heat flow assumptions in Antarctic geology models based on rock geochemistry.

Strengths

• Includes specific heat production measurements ranging from 0.02 to 66 µW per cubic meter.
• Focuses on a defined 275 km transect along the Prydz Bay coastline from the Vestfold Hills to the Amery Ice Shelf.
• Data is linked to peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of the Geological Society, London.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Antarctic Division, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Melbourne, University of Texas.

Collection Method

Geochemical analysis of rock samples and interpretation of aeromagnetic data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:25:36.214503; freshness should be verified.

Geography

East Antarctica, specifically a transect along the Prydz Bay coastline from the Vestfold Hills to the Amery Ice Shelf.