Terrestrial heat flow in Lake Malawi, Africa

Abstract

Twenty measurements of heat flow through the floor of deep Lake Malawi (Central Africa) gave values ranging from 0.15 to 2.88 μcal/cm² sec. A systematic areal distribution of the values indicated regions of low heat flow at the northern and southern ends of the lake (average = 0.54 and 0.70 μcal/cm² sec, respectively), separated by a central region of high heat flow (average = 2.30 μcal/cm² sec.). The variability implies local heat sources within a few tens of kilometers of the earth's surface and/or disturbances from the local environment.