Geothermics can be defined as the study of the temperature distribution in the earth and the phenomena which influence that distribution. At the earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, complex meteorological events occur which are strongly influenced by temperature. These phenomena will only be mentioned briefly.
The outflow of heat from the Earth’s interior, the terrestrial heat flow, and the temperature field at depth are determined by deep-seated tectonic processes. The knowledge of the regional heat flow patterns is thus very important in geophysics and provides a useful tool for studying crustal and lithospheric structures and for understanding the nature of their evolution.