Influence of the temperature dependence of thermal parameters of heat conduction models on the reconstruction of thermal history of igneous-intrusion-bearing basins

Heat conduction models are important tools for reconstructing the thermal history of sedimentary basins affected by magmatic intrusions. Accurate thermal properties of the intrusion and its wall rocks are crucial for accurate predictions of thermal history. Although data on the thermal properties of rocks used in the models are not yet sufficient, we theoretically evaluated the influence of their temperature dependence on the reconstruction of the thermal history of wall rocks of a cooling intrusive sheet. In this study, due to their relatively adequate thermophysical data over wide temperature ranges, diabase, limestone, and Berea sandstone are assumed as the intrusion and the wall rocks in a heat conduction model. A linear interpolation algorithm is used to fit the temperature dependence of their thermal conductivity and specific heat based on experimental data. Simulations indicate that (a) the temperature dependence of these thermal properties can improve the estimation of the contact temperature (Tc), (b) the deviation of Tc from a temperature-independent-coefficient heat conduction model can be as large as 102 °C for limestone and 61 °C for Berea sandstone, and (c) this is also the maximum deviation in the peak-temperature profile of wall rocks. However, its effect on the peak-temperature profile of wall rocks which is above 20 °C only occurs in a very narrow zone that is less than a half width of the intrusion away from the contact or a domain with the peak temperature above 500 °C. Furthermore, the temperature dependence can also significantly change the thermal-evolution history of wall rocks, lowering the cooling rate of magma intrusion and hence influencing the prediction of vitrinite reflectance (Ro) based on the EASY%Ro model. Until a magma intrusion almost completely cools down, the maximum deviation in the predicted Ro profile of wall rocks from the temperature-independent-parameter heat conduction model can attain 0.47% for Berea sandstone at a location of about 150% of the intrusion width away from the contact and 0.62% for limestone at a location of about 92% of this distance.