A method is disclosed for the estimation of subsurface temperature distributions from a 3-dimensional heat conductivity model for a geological formation. The method may be characterized by the following steps: (a) obtaining measured data corresponding to a geological subsurface formation of interest including seismic survey data, in-well temperature, seafloor or surface heat flux measurements and laboratory-based measurements of core porosity, (b) estimating a relationship between seismic velocity and heat conductivity, wherein seismic velocity is linearly dependent on porosity and heat conductivity is exponentially or linearly dependent on porosity, and (c) calibrating the model to the measured in-well data and laboratory-based measurements of core porosity.