Compositional controls on the thermal conductivity of igneous rocks and a model for the conductivity of Antarctic crust

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dc.contributor.authorWillcocks, S.
dc.contributor.authorHasterok, D.
dc.contributor.authorHalpin, J.A.
dc.contributor.authorWalsh, J.
dc.contributor.authorJennings, S.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractModelling heat flux through the lithosphere requires accurate estimates of thermal conductivity, yet few regions have sufficient estimates to constrain thermal models. Global geochemical databases in contrast, have numerous samples, but lack physical property estimates. In this study, we combine thermal conductivity measurements on 1053 globally-distributed samples with known chemical composition—including 48 new analyses from Antarctica— to develop empirical relationships between conductivity and major element composition, modal mineralogy and normative mineralogy. Despite a skew in the residuals, all compositional models result in similar misfit (∼0.4 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) with 95 % of samples within ±20 % of measured conductivities. We then apply this conductivity-composition relationship to the PetroChron Antarctica database to predict the thermal conductivity of 6995 igneous protoliths. We predict 95 % of thermal conductivity estimates for Antarctic geochemical samples range from 1.78 to 3.19 W m⁻¹ K⁻, with an average of 2.49 ± 0.31 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. These empirical relationships provide a way to produce reasonable estimates of rock conductivity that can be used to improve heat flux estimates beneath glaciers and ice sheets where the composition of the rocks is known
dc.description.statementofresponsibilitySimon Willcocks, Derrick Hasterok, Jacqueline A. Halpin, Jessica Walsh, Samuel Jennings
dc.identifier.citationTectonophysics, 2025; 911:230802-1-230802-10
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230802
dc.identifier.issn0040-1951
dc.identifier.issn1879-3266
dc.identifier.orcidHasterok, D. [0000-0002-8257-7975]
dc.identifier.orcidWalsh, J. [0000-0003-1183-9015]
dc.identifier.orcidJennings, S. [0000-0003-3762-7336]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/147951
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP180104074
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/SR200100008
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/SR140300001
dc.rights© 2025 Published by Elsevier B.V.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230802
dc.subjectThermal conductivity; Rock properties; Geothermics; Antarctica; Geothermal heat flux; Heat flow
dc.titleCompositional controls on the thermal conductivity of igneous rocks and a model for the conductivity of Antarctic crust
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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