Presentation Information
[SGC46-05]Estimating mantle heat-producing element abundances through global geoneutrino detections
*Zhihao Xu1, Shuai Ouyang2, William F. McDonough3,4,5, Hiroko Watanabe1, Mark Chen6, Yang Zhang2, Laura S. Keen7 (1.Research Center for Neutrino Science, Tohoku University, 2.Shandong University, 3.Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), Tohoku University & JAMSTEC, 4.University of Maryland, College Park, 5.Center for Geoneutrino Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of science, 6.Queen's University at Kingston, 7.The MathWorks, Inc.)
Keywords:
geoneutrino,mantle,radioactive element,geothermal energy,uranium,thorium
Geoneutrinos are the electron antineutrinos produced by beta decays of radioactive isotopes within the Earth. Their detection acts as a unique tool to probe the planet's radiogenic heat production and the distribution of heat-producing elements (HPEs) in the Earth. However, due to their extremely small mass and weak interactions, geoneutrinos are incredibly challenging to detect.
Nevertheless, in 2005, the KamLAND experiment (Japan) became the first ever to successfully detect geoneutrinos, providing groundbreaking insights into the earth's interior. The achievement spurred the development of new methods for studying the earth's structure, bridging neutrino physics with geochemistry and geophysics. After that, the Borexino experiment (Italy) confirmed geoneutrino detection in 2007. Most recently, in 2025, the SNO+ (Canada) and JUNO (China) experiments released their first geoneutrino detection results, marking the beginning of a true multi-site global observational era.
In this presentation, we utilize this expanded global dataset to estimate the abundance of mantle HPEs. By performing a combined analysis of the latest results from KamLAND, Borexino, SNO+, and JUNO, we aim to statistically isolate the mantle signal from the crustal contribution. Specifically, we discuss the implications of our results for the Earth's total radiogenic heat budget and test the consistency of different Bulk Silicate Earth (BSE) models.
Nevertheless, in 2005, the KamLAND experiment (Japan) became the first ever to successfully detect geoneutrinos, providing groundbreaking insights into the earth's interior. The achievement spurred the development of new methods for studying the earth's structure, bridging neutrino physics with geochemistry and geophysics. After that, the Borexino experiment (Italy) confirmed geoneutrino detection in 2007. Most recently, in 2025, the SNO+ (Canada) and JUNO (China) experiments released their first geoneutrino detection results, marking the beginning of a true multi-site global observational era.
In this presentation, we utilize this expanded global dataset to estimate the abundance of mantle HPEs. By performing a combined analysis of the latest results from KamLAND, Borexino, SNO+, and JUNO, we aim to statistically isolate the mantle signal from the crustal contribution. Specifically, we discuss the implications of our results for the Earth's total radiogenic heat budget and test the consistency of different Bulk Silicate Earth (BSE) models.