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A Review and Evaluation of Specific Heat Capacities of Rocks, Minerals, and Subsurface Fluids. Part 1: Minerals and Nonporous Rocks

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Abstract

Heat capacities of the rocks within a sedimentary basin can significantly influence geothermal gradients if sedimentation or erosion is rapid. This paper provides data on specific heat capacities of minerals and nonporous rocks at 20°C, derives equations for calculating specific heat capacities of minerals and nonporous rocks at temperatures between 0°C and 1200°C, and shows that pressure effects on heat capacities of solids can be neglected. It derives an equation for estimating specific heat capacity of any mineral or nonporous rock as a function of density. Finally, it shows how to calculate the specific heat capacity of any mixture of solid materials. A companion paper discusses specific heat capacities of the fluids in pore spaces of rocks and of fluid-filled porous rocks. The data for minerals and rocks provided herein can be incorporated directly into existing modeling software by users. However, the temperature-dependent equations would have to be incorporated by software developers.

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    Douglas W. Waples

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    Jacob S. Waples

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Waples, D.W., Waples, J.S. A Review and Evaluation of Specific Heat Capacities of Rocks, Minerals, and Subsurface Fluids. Part 1: Minerals and Nonporous Rocks. Natural Resources Research 13, 97–122 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NARR.0000032647.41046.e7

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