Lunar Heat Flow: Global Predictions and Reduced Heat Flux

Abstract

Geothermal heat flow is a fundamental measure of the internal composition of a planet. On the Moon (which has lost much of its heat of formation, is not strongly tidally heated, and is not likely to have strong mantle convection) surface heat flux results predominantly from the subsurface column abundance of radiogenic material (e.g. U, Th, K…). As U and Th are refractory, the concentration of these elements can be directly related to the refractory composition of the bulk planetary body.