This point shapefile contains heat flow data for South America compiled from sources dating from 1970 to 2008. Heat flow is a measure of heat loss across the surface of the Earth and is useful for modeling recent tectonic activity, transport of heat by groundwater, variations in concentrations of the radiogenic elements U, Th and K, glacial dynamics, and recent changes in climate. See attibute table and supplemental documentation for more detail. Global heat flow data are maintained by the International Heat Flow Commission (IHFC) of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI). Heat Flow, South America, 1970-2008 (2016) .Global Heatflow database from the International Heat Flow Commission 2011. http://purl.stanford.edu/sj699pn6270 This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.