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Sensitivity of 3D thermal models to the choice of boundary conditions and thermal properties: a case study for the area of Brandenburg (NE German Basin)

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Abstract

Based on newly available data of both, the structural setting and thermal properties, we compare 3D thermal models for the area of Brandenburg, located in the Northeast German Basin, to assess the sensitivity of our model results. The structural complexity of the basin fill is given by the configuration of the Zechstein salt with salt diapirs and salt pillows. This special configuration is very relevant for the thermal calculations because salt has a distinctly higher thermal conductivity than other sediments. We calculate the temperature using a FEMethod to solve the steady state heat conduction equation in 3D. Based on this approach, we evaluate the sensitivity of the steady-state conductive thermal field with respect to different lithospheric configurations and to the assigned thermal properties. We compare three different thermal models: (a) a crustal-scale model including a homogeneous crust, (b) a new lithosphere-scale model including a differentiated crust and (c) a crustal-scale model with a stepwise variation of measured thermal properties. The comparison with measured temperatures from different structural locations of the basin shows a good fit to the temperature predictions for the first two models, whereas the third model is distinctly colder. This indicates that effective thermal conductivities may be different from values determined by measurements on rock samples. The results suggest that conduction is the main heat transport mechanism in the Brandenburg area.

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Acknowledgments

We thank our colleagues from the geological surveys of Landesamt für Bergbau, Geologie und Rohstoffe Brandenburg for providing the main data to construct the refined 3D structural model of the basin fill and for fruitful discussions. Landesamt für Geologie und Bergwesen Sachsen-Anhalt and Landesamt für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Geologie Mecklenburg-Vorpommern kindly provided additional well data to improve the database at the border of the structural model. The project received financial support from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. This work is part of GeoEn and has partly been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in the programme ‘‘Spitzenforschung in den neuen Ländern’’ (BMBFGrant03G0671A/B/C). The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for the very thorough and most helpful review. We are grateful for valuable comments from the editorial team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469, Potsdam, Germany

    Vera Noack & Mauro Cacace

  2. Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Vera Noack, Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth & Mauro Cacace

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  1. Vera Noack
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  2. Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth
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  3. Mauro Cacace
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Correspondence to Vera Noack.

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Noack, V., Scheck-Wenderoth, M. & Cacace, M. Sensitivity of 3D thermal models to the choice of boundary conditions and thermal properties: a case study for the area of Brandenburg (NE German Basin). Environ Earth Sci 67, 1695–1711 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1614-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1614-2

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