Subsurface temperature signature of a large Pleistocene - Holocene surface warming in the North Alberta, Canada

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Majorowicz, J.
  • Šafanda, J.
  • Gosnold, W
  • Unsworth, M.

• Recent results from a 2.3km deep temperature log in northern Alberta, Canada acquired as part of the University of Alberta Helmholtz-Alberta Initiative (HAI) geothermal energy project in 2010-2011shows that there is a significant increase in thermal gradient in the granites. Inversion of the measured T-z profile between 550 - 2320 m indicates a temperature increase of 9.6 ± 0.3 °C, at 13.0 ± 0.6 ka and that the glacial base surface temperature was - 4.4± 0.3 °C. This inversion computation accounted for granite heat production of 3 µW/m3. This is the largest amplitude of Pleistocene - Holocene surface warming in Canada inferred from borehole temperature logs, and is compatible with the results of similar studies in Eurasia (KTB, Outokumpu, Torun-1 etc.) reported previously.

• Date created

  2012

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Thermal gradient
  • Geochemical testing
  • Geothermal energy

• Type of Item

  Research Material

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3SF2MB9H

• License

  © 2012 Copernicus. The version of this abstract is open access and can be downloaded and shared. The original author(s) and source must be cited.