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GG 652 Homework 10
Fourier’s Law and the Energy Equation
Due Friday 22 March
Conduction and the steady-state energy equation (Turcotte & Schubert, p. 132-149)
1. Provide a back-of-the-envelope estimate for the mean temperature at the base of the oceanic
lithosphere using an average heat flow for the ocean basins of 101 mW/m -2 and a mean
lithospheric thickness of 60 km.
2. T & S, problem 4-9, p. 143.
3. T & S, problem 4-20, p. 149Not a great problem. Mostly tedious algebra
Time-dependent energy equation (Turcotte & Schubert, p. 149-150)
4. Using the relation= l2/, determine the characteristic or mean age of the oceanic lithosphere.
(e.g., see problem 4-23 of T and S). Assume = 10-6m2/s (32 km2/m.y.) and the mean
lithospheric thickness is 50 km.