Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements

A. Gando; Y. Gando; K. Ichimura; H. Ikeda; K. Inoue; Y. Kibe; Y. Kishimoto; M. Koga; Y. Minekawa; T. Mitsui; T. Morikawa; N. Nagai; K. Nakajima; K. Nakamura; K. Narita; I. Shimizu; Y. Shimizu; J. Shirai; F. Suekane; A. Suzuki; H. Takahashi; N. Takahashi; Y. Takemoto; K. Tamae; H. Watanabe; B. D. Xu; H. Yabumoto; H. Yoshida; S. Yoshida; S. Enomoto; A. Kozlov; H. Murayama; C. Grant; G. Keefer; A. Piepke; T. I. Banks; T. Bloxham; J. A. Detwiler; S. J. Freedman; B. K. Fujikawa; K. Han; R. Kadel; T. O'Donnell; H. M. Steiner; D. A. Dwyer; R. D. McKeown; C. Zhang; B. E. Berger; C. E. Lane; J. Maricic; T. Miletic; M. Batygov; J. G. Learned; S. Matsuno; M. Sakai; G. A. Horton-Smith; K. E. Downum; G. Gratta; K. Tolich; Y. Efremenko; O. Perevozchikov; H. J. Karwowski; D. M. Markoff; W. Tornow; K. M. Heeger; M. P. Decowski; KamLAND Collaboration

doi:10.1038/ngeo1205

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Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements

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Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements

A. Gando, Y. Gando, K. Ichimura, H. Ikeda, K. Inoue, Y. Kibe, Y. Kishimoto, M. Koga, Y. Minekawa, T. Mitsui, …

Nature geoscience, v 4(9), pp 647-651

01 Sep 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1205

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Abstract

Geology

Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Physical Sciences

Science & Technology

The Earth has cooled since its formation, yet the decay of radiogenic isotopes, and in particular uranium, thorium and potassium, in the planet's interior provides a continuing heat source. The current total heat flux from the Earth to space is 44.2 +/- 1.0 TW, but the relative contributions from residual primordial heat and radiogenic decay remain uncertain. However, radiogenic decay can be estimated from the flux of geoneutrinos, electrically neutral particles that are emitted during radioactive decay and can pass through the Earth virtually unaffected. Here we combine precise measurements of the geoneutrino flux from the Kamioka Liquid-Scintillator Antineutrino Detector, Japan, with existing measurements from the Borexino detector, Italy. We find that decay of uranium-238 and thorium-232 together contribute 20.0(-8.6)(+8.8) TW to Earth's heat flux. The neutrinos emitted from the decay of potassium-40 are below the limits of detection in our experiments, but are known to contribute 4 TW. Taken together, our observations indicate that heat from radioactive decay contributes about half of Earth's total heat flux. We therefore conclude that Earth's primordial heat supply has not yet been exhausted.

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Title: Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements
Creators: A. Gando - Tohoku University
Y. Gando - Tohoku University
K. Ichimura - Tohoku University
H. Ikeda - Tohoku University
K. Inoue - University of Tokyo
Y. Kibe - Tohoku University
Y. Kishimoto - Tohoku University
M. Koga - University of Tokyo
Y. Minekawa - Tohoku University
T. Mitsui - Tohoku University
T. Morikawa - Tohoku University
N. Nagai - Tohoku University
K. Nakajima - University of Tokyo
K. Nakamura - Tohoku University
K. Narita - Tohoku University
I. Shimizu - Tohoku University
Y. Shimizu - Tohoku University
J. Shirai - Tohoku University
F. Suekane - Tohoku University
A. Suzuki - Tohoku University
H. Takahashi - Tohoku University
N. Takahashi - Tohoku University
Y. Takemoto - Tohoku University
K. Tamae - Tohoku University
H. Watanabe - Tohoku University
B. D. Xu - Tohoku University
H. Yabumoto - Tohoku University
H. Yoshida - Tohoku University
S. Yoshida - Tohoku University
S. Enomoto - University of Tokyo
A. Kozlov - University of Tokyo
H. Murayama - University of Tokyo
C. Grant - University of Alabama
G. Keefer - University of Alabama
A. Piepke - University of Alabama
T. I. Banks - University of California, Berkeley
T. Bloxham - University of California, Berkeley
J. A. Detwiler - University of California, Berkeley
S. J. Freedman - University of Tokyo
B. K. Fujikawa - University of Tokyo
K. Han - University of California, Berkeley
R. Kadel - University of California, Berkeley
T. O'Donnell - University of California, Berkeley
H. M. Steiner - University of California, Berkeley
D. A. Dwyer - California Institute of Technology
R. D. McKeown - California Institute of Technology
C. Zhang - California Institute of Technology
B. E. Berger - Colorado State University
C. E. Lane - Drexel University
J. Maricic - Drexel University
T. Miletic - Drexel University
M. Batygov - Univ Hawaii Manoa, Dept Phys & Astron, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
J. G. Learned - Univ Hawaii Manoa, Dept Phys & Astron, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
S. Matsuno - Univ Hawaii Manoa, Dept Phys & Astron, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
M. Sakai - Univ Hawaii Manoa, Dept Phys & Astron, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
G. A. Horton-Smith - University of Tokyo
K. E. Downum - Stanford University
G. Gratta - Stanford University
K. Tolich - Stanford University
Y. Efremenko - University of Tokyo
O. Perevozchikov - University of Tennessee at Knoxville
H. J. Karwowski - Duke University
D. M. Markoff - Duke University
W. Tornow - Duke University
K. M. Heeger - University of Tokyo
M. P. Decowski - University of Tokyo
KamLAND Collaboration
Publication Details: Nature geoscience, v 4(9), pp 647-651
Publisher: Springer Nature
Number of pages: 5
Grant note: 0833184 / Division Of Human Resource Development; National Science Foundation (NSF); NSF- Directorate for Education & Human Resources (EHR) 16002002 / Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) 21684008 / Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI Initiative), MEXT, Japan; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) 1002399 / Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien; National Science Foundation (NSF); NSF - Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS) DOE; United States Department of Energy (DOE) DEFG03-00ER41138; DE-AC02-05CH11231 / US Department of Energy (DOE); United States Department of Energy (DOE)
Resource Type: Journal article
Language: English
Academic Unit: Physics
Web of Science ID: WOS:000294452400016
Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-80052338035
Other Identifier: 991019296814104721

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web of Science research areas: Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Partial radiogenic heat model for Earth revealed by geoneutrino measurements

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