Some Considerations on Heat Flow in Korea

한반도(韓半島) 지열류량(地熱流量)에 대(對)한 약천(若千)의 고찰(考察)

The geophysical implications of the observed heat flow in the Korean Peninsula are examined. The Peninsula can be devided into two typical regions of high (Zone 1) and normal heat flows (Zone 2), and anomalous sharp change of heat flow between two zones is noteworthy. Zone 1 (southeastern coast of the Peninsula) to be connected to the East Sea (=Japan Sea) of high heat flow region corresponds with the region of late-Mesozoic to Tertiary igneous activity. With the radioactive elements concentrated in the crust, the observed heat flow in Zone 2 can be almostly explained. While, only a half of the heat flow in Zone 1 is explained. As a possible explanation of high heat flow in Zone 1, partial melting in the lower crust is examined. The temperature of $800-900^{\circ}C$ calculated at the bottom of the crust excludes the possibility of partial melting or magma generation in the crust. Alternatively, a remaining thermal effect of late-Mesozoic to Tertiary igneous activity is considered. However, it appears that the thermal effect already disappeared and that the vertical temperature distribution reached at steady state 30 MY ago (= 10 MY after the igneous activities came to an end). After all, the existence of some other effective heat transfer in Zone 1 is strongly suggested. The high heat flow to be same kind of anomalous one of the East Sea can be recognized as a result of the trench-back-arc thermal flux. The plate subduction in the Japan Trench will generate an induced flow above the slab of the East Sea, a typical back-arc basin, and hence the induced flow will heat the surrounding lithosphere.