We studied how heat is distributed underground in the western Himalaya to understand its potential for geothermal energy. Using computer models, we show that heat from radioactive rocks, uplift of mountains, and the shape of the land all influence temperatures in the crust. Deep valleys such as the Indus and Hunza may host accessible hot zones, meaning they could be good places to explore for geothermal energy.

Rocks in mountain belts have been deformed during continental collision causing a certain alignment of the minerals referred to as crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). Minerals have anisotropic properties: the velocity of seismic waves travelling through them is direction dependent. This leads to anisotropy of the rocks. We measured the CPO of common rocks within the Alps. With this data and known anisotropic properties of the minerals we calculated the seismic anisotropy of the rocks.

Properties of deformed rocks are frequently anisotropic. One of these properties is the travel time of a seismic wave. In this study we measured the seismic anisotropy of different rocks, collected in the Alps. Our results show distinct differences between rocks of oceanic origin and those of continental origin.