REGIONAL HEAT FLOW PATTERN IN WESTERN CANADA

Abstract

Over a period of several years, thousands of temperature measurements, which were made while oil wells were being logged for other purposes, have accumulated. These measurements have now been critically examined. Although only a minute percentage were sufficiently reliable for terrestrial heat flow purposes, there were enough to permit sea level isogeotherms and isogradients to be drawn on a regional basis.Anomalies in the isogeotherms appear to correlate with granitic basement intrusions. The isogradients suggest a regional trend of increasing heat flow between Edmonton and Norman Wells.