HEAT OF EARTH

HEAT OF EARTH

The mean heat loss from Earth is 87 mW m⁻², for a global heat loss of 4.42 × 10¹³ W. A portion of the core's thermal energy is transported toward the crust by mantle plumes, a form of convection consisting of up welling of higher-temperature rock. These plumes can produce hot spots and flood basalt. More of the heat in Earth is lost through plate tectonics, by mantle up welling associated with mid-ocean ridges. The final major mode of heat loss is through conduction through the lithosphere, the majority of which occurs under the oceans because the crust there is much thinner than that of the continents.