We examine the thermal and dynamical response of a neutron star to a s
udden perturbation of the inner crust temperature. During the star's e
volution, starquakes and other processes may deposit greater than or s
imilar to 10(42) ergs, causing significant internal heating and increa
sed frictional coupling between the crust and the more rapidly rotatin
g neutron superfluid the star is expected to contain. Through numerica
l simulation we study the propagation of the thermal wave created by t
he energy deposition, the induced motion of the interior superfluid, a
nd the resulting spin evolution of the crust. We find that energy depo
sitions of similar to 10(40) ergs produce gradual spin-ups above the t
iming noise level, while larger energy depositions produce sudden spin
jumps resembling pulsar glitches. For a star with a temperature in th
e observed range of the Vela pulsar, an energy deposition of similar t
o 10(42) ergs produces a large spin-up taking place over minutes, simi
lar to the Vela ''Christmas'' glitch. Comparable energy deposition in
a younger and hotter ''Crab-like'' star produces a smaller spin-up tak
ing place over similar to 1(d), similar to that seen during the partia
lly time-resolved Crab glitch of 1989.