HR: 1340h
AN: T43B-1330    [Abstracts]
TI: Hans Pettersson and the First Heat Flow Probe for Deep Sea Studies
AU: * Bostrom, K G
EM: kurt.bostrom@geo.su.se
AF: Geology & Geochemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91 Sweden
AB: Hans Pettersson (HP) organized and led the Swedish Deep Sea Expedition 1946-47, and invented many marine research tools. His study (1910,1914) of heat generation during radioactive decay made him interested in Joly's ideas (1903,1925)of heat generation in the Earth. Joly's work made HP convinced of the geochemical role of the deep sea volcanism. These ideas were bolstered by the Austrian geologist Kirsch, who had a fairly modern view (1928) of how the Earth's inner heat caused convections and moved the crust, ideas that where approved by Wegener. HP therefore decided to study oceanic heat flow. He con-structed a heat-gradient probe, with a kerosene filled bulb and three riser tubes, 2 serving as thermometer capillaries and one as an expansion tube. Two clockworks controlled a multi-port valve, one tube being closed just before the penetration of the sediment, the other 45 minutes later. The first 2 stations gave credible readings but later on the instrument failed. HP believed this was due to poor thermal compensation, but more likely it was caused by sticking of the valves - just as in modern titration work when the valve grease is being squized out. Refrigerater tests of "old" clocks show that the spring drives work well for 9-10 hours or twice the time HP needed to get a heat gradient.
DE: 1724 Ocean sciences
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting