Heat Flow of Continental Rift Zones: A New Approach to Data Evaluation

The features of heat flow distribution in some rift zones are considered, namely: the Baikal rift zone, the Shanxi–Liaohe rift, the Jordan rift, the Orel Trough (Sture) in the north of the Svalbard plate, as well as the rift zone of Iceland. Heat flow asymmetry relative to the rift centerline is also noted against the increased heat flow background in the rift zone compared to adjacent areas. The nature of such asymmetry is connected not only with the different faults permeability on the sides but also with planetary factors – forces acting on a rotating planet, in particular, with the Coriolis force. Heat flow increase on the eastern flanks compared with the western flanks in the considered rifts of the meridional strike is consistent with the Coriolis force vector in the Earth Northern Hemisphere.