An Improved Method for Calculating Paleoheat flow From Vitrinite Reflectance profiles

摘要

Based on the models developed by Lerche et al. (1984) and Pang et al. (1993), an improved model for calculating paleoheat flow into basins is investigated. The new model is an optimization prob- lem with the state variables governed by a thermal conduction equation. A genetic algorithm is used to solve the highly nonlinear optimization problem. As an application, the model is applied to the research into the history of heat flow in the Pearl River Mouth basin located in the south China Sea.