Low Heat Flow in the Anhydros Basin, Aegean Sea, Recorded by Deep Subsurface Temperatures

Authors

• Michael Manga, University of California at Berkeley
• Masako Tominaga, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Jonas Preine, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Thomas A. Ronge, Texas A&M University
• Sarah Beethe, Oregon State University
• Christian Hübscher, University of Hamburg
• Iona McIntosh, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Paraskevi Nomikou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• Steffen Kutterolf, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
• Tim Druitt, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Clermont-Ferrand
• Alexis Bernard, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
• Carole Berthod, CNRS
• Hehe Chen, China University of Geosciences, Beijing
• Acacia Clark, University of Tasmania
• Susan DeBari, Western Washington University
• Tatiana I. Fernandez-Perez, Kent State University
• Ralf Gertisser, Keele University
• Raymond M. Johnston, University of South Florida
• Christopher K. Jones, University of California at Riverside
• K. Batuk Joshi, Central University of Himachal Pradesh
• Günther Kletetschka, University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Olga Koukousioura, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Molly McCanta, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Antony Morris, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Katharina Pank, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
• Ally Peccia, Columbia University
• Paraskevi N. Polymenakou, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
• Adam Woodhouse, Cardiff University
• Yuzuru Yamamoto, Kobe University

ORCID

• Antony Morris: 0000-0003-2862-7377

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Subseafloor in situ temperatures in a drilled hole in the Anhydros Basin, Aegean Sea, measured during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 398, yielded a low heat flow (<0.023 W/m²) despite active magmatism and rifting in the region. The coldest and highest temperatures were 13.9°C at 52.5 m below seafloor (mbsf) and 15.5°C for the deepest measurement at 360.4 mbsf, respectively. Comparison of a heat transfer model with measurements suggests that sea bottom temperatures during the last glacial period were up to 10°C cooler than Holocene temperatures. The magnitude of Holocene warming co-varies with the geothermal heat flow: if the former goes up the latter goes up. Low heat flow may arise from lateral removal of heat through deeper formations by gravity driven advection of fluids. Tectonic separation of the northwestern Anhydros Basin from the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic field may lead to minimal magmatic influences on heat flow.

DOI Link

10.1029/2025GL115919

Publication Date

2025-07-16

Publication Title

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

52

Issue

13

ISSN

0094-8276

Acceptance Date

2025-05-21

Deposit Date

2026-10-05

Funding

CIFAR Miller Institute U.S. Science Support Program, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Czech Science Foundation. Grant Number: 23-06075S

Additional Links

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105009817778

Keywords

Aegean, arc volcanism, climate change, heat flow, Kolumbo volcano, Santorini

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Manga, M., Tominaga, M., Preine, J., Ronge, T., Beethe, S., Hübscher, C., McIntosh, I., Nomikou, P., Kutterolf, S., Druitt, T., Bernard, A., Berthod, C., Chen, H., Clark, A., DeBari, S., Fernandez-Perez, T., Gertisser, R., Johnston, R., Jones, C., Joshi, K., Kletetschka, G., Koukousioura, O., McCanta, M., Morris, A., Pank, K., Peccia, A., Polymenakou, P., Woodhouse, A., & Yamamoto, Y. (2025) 'Low Heat Flow in the Anhydros Basin, Aegean Sea, Recorded by Deep Subsurface Temperatures', Geophysical Research Letters, 52(13). Available at: 10.1029/2025GL115919