Paleothermometry

in geology, the determination of the temperature at which a geologic process occurred in the past. Measurement of paleotemperatures can be based on the abundance of isotopes in organic remains, on the nature of inclusions of mother liquor and their behavior when heated, and on the distribution of admixtures in two simultaneously crystallized minerals. The methods of paleothermometry make it possible to determine the temperature of ore formation, the solidification temperature of vein and abyssal rocks, and annual temperature fluctuations in ancient seas.