About HeatFlow.org

Everything you need to know to get started

What is ThermoGlobe?

ThermoGlobe is the name of the database that powers HeatFlow.org. As a PhD candidate, you're afforded only a few ways to express yourself creatively and naming the newly structured database was my way of doing that. You can learn more about the structure and development of ThermoGlobe in the paper published here . If you're not interested in a dry read, here are the important bits from the paper:

  • The heat flow data was compiled from the databases of Lucazeau (2019), Analysis and Mapping of an Updated Terrestrial Heat Flow Data Set and Hasterok and Chapman (2008), Oceanic heat flow: Implications for global heat loss , both of which we're built on the efforts of many others before them.
  • Temperature data was compiled from three seperate sources, the Global Borehole Temperature Database, the Canadian Goethermal Data Compilation and the OZTemp temeprature database.
  • Thermal conductivity and heat generation data are largely source from the CGDC

Check out the current database numbers below. These are populated on page load so are current as of right now! Click on one of the icons below to get a better overview of that particular dataset. A number of helpful plots and descriptive statistic are provided on each page.

Heat Flow
62,264 sites
12,886 corrected estimates
60,066 uncorrected estimates
Thermal Gradient
38,346 sites
1,844 corrected gradient
39,737 uncorrected gradient
Temperature
7,240 sites
161,454 measurements
4,436 temperature logs
Thermal Conductivity
807 sites
39,346 measurements
774 conductivity logs
Heat Generation
340 sites
2,479 measurements
267 heat generation logs

Findable

Metadata and data should be easy to find for both humans and computers

Accessible

Once the data is found the user needs to know how they can be accessed.

Interoperable

Data need to be integrated with other data and interoperate with applications or workflows for analysis, storage, and processing.

Reusable

Metadata and data should be well-described by accurate and relevant attributes.

Keep it FAIR

It can be difficult to convert legacy datasets to FAIR datasets but doing so is a core pursuit of this database and website. All data are assigned globally unique and persistent identifiers on upload and we are doing our best to trace and record detailed provenance of existing measurements. This undertaking is a large task and will take time but we believe we've got the framework in place to make this work. We are always looking for volunteers with the right credentials to help moderate, validate and quality assess the data within ThermoGlobe. Please get in contact with us if you would like to help out!

Publications and how to cite

The oldest paper in our database is from Hilgendorf et. al (1919). Since the publication of that paper, data from approximately 1400 more articles - plus many more unpublished datasets - have gone into making ThermoGlobe what it is today! Global datasets like this one exist because of the individuals that physically go out and collect data throughout the world! Therefore it's important that you cite all original publications when you access and use data from this site! Credit where credit's due! Thankfully, we provide a list of all publications that are housed within ThermoGlobe as well as downloadable citations in a number of common formats. Every time you download data from this website we also include a list of the relevant references so that you always have what you need on hand!

We also ask that in addition you cite the following paper Jennings, Hasterok & Lucazeau, 2021, ThermoGlobe: Extending the global heat flow database, Journal TBD as acknowledgment of having accessed data through this website.

Heat flow and related publications by year published

License

As well as the database itself, this website produces a number of interactive plots for visualising and describing thermal data, all of which are are downloadable in .svg format and free to use, customise and redistribute under the terms of our license. That license is the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License CC BY-SA 4.0 .  Basically all you have to do is give us a shout-out and link back to this website where possible! Oh, and if your decided to rework and redistribute anything, make sure it's shared under the same, or at least a similar license. In short, don't try and commercialise our work. If you use this website or database for your research paper, please cite us as per the how to cite section.

You are free to:

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

for any purpose, even commercially.

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.