 Half-space cooling model

The half-space cooling model solves the one-dimensional heat equation for initially hot material cooled at a fixed-temperature surface. For constant thermal diffusivity $\kappa$, a fixed interior-temperature isotherm deepens proportional to $\sqrt{\tau }$. Applied to an oceanic lithosphere, it explains the leading age dependence of cooling; finite plate thickness and basal heat supply limit its extrapolation to old ages.