Questions tagged [geothermal-heat]

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What determines rock temperature inside mountains?

Wikipedia article says about the Gotthard Base Tunnel: "It is the deepest railway tunnel in the world, with a maximum depth of 2,450 m (8,040 ft), comparable to that of the deepest mines on Earth....
Leos Ondra's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
78 views

Should geothermal electricity be considered green?

I always considered geothermal energy a vast, emission-free green energy source. That is, if you happen to live in the right place. That also seems to be the sentiment online. I live in Italy, in the &...
yoav.aviram's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
139 views

Map of earth subsurface temperature

I see similar flavours of this question have been asked a few times, but I still don't see a satisfying answer. I am looking for data (maps) of the earth subsurface temperature at a depth sufficient ...
Redirectk's user avatar
  • 272
25 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why is geothermal heat insignificant to surface temperature?

I believe the temperature gradient underground is as high as 30°C per kilometer of depth. Thus, it is very warm only 1 kilometer below the Earth's surface. Yet, it is commonly stated that geothermal ...
Peter A's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
72 views

At what depth does the ground stop getting cooler/hotter(summer/winter) and it starts to warm up?Where is the MAT depth or geothermal crossover?

Lookin into geothermal cooling, and want to learn more about how temperature behaves at different depths, not too deep like 100 meters or so, ignoring unusual stuff like geysers and things. I want to ...
CMZneu's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
121 views

What is the average temperature of the whole planet Earth, not just the surface?

What is the average temperature of the Earth when you take into account all of the layers, not just the surface? Everything I've found so far concern only the surface or each layer individually. But ...
Wood's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Simple Mathematical Equation for the Geotherm

Hi I need a simple equation (polynomial third straight) for a PerpleX simulation to represent the mantle geotherm. The geotherms I have found on the internet so far (unfortunately I don't have the ...
Weiss's user avatar
  • 1,989
2 votes
1 answer
88 views

Is there superionic ice in the earth? and how did it get there?

I recently researched about Superionic Ice which basically is Water under so much pressure and heat that it turns into a black hot ice. I read this article about it too. I found out Superionic ice ...
Tardy's user avatar
  • 574
1 vote
2 answers
114 views

Formation of steam underground

In the process of drilling holes in the ground, if water was introduced, could it reach equilibrium vapor pressure, flash to steam and expel drill bit, drilling rod, and other debris up and out of the ...
Kenneth Vaughan's user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
4k views

Geothermal instead of fossil and nuclear?

Why aren't we taking advantage of geothermal heating to produce electricity around the world, instead of burning fossil fuels and using nuclear? Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper than building new power ...
George's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
47 views

Is there a more accurate method for estimating ground or soil temperatures

Context We have geothermal, engineering and construction clients who often need accurate estimates of ground temperatures for project sites before they have physical access to the sites (for ...
Sheldonfrith's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why is the deep sea cold?

Except near thermal vents, the deep ocean is generally considered to be quite cool. For instance, water temps in the Mariana Trench (~10 km deep) are 1-4 °C. However, the geothermal gradient runs ...
Kenn Sebesta's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
235 views

How much of Earth's internal heat comes from primordial heating and how has it changed since Earth's formation?

I'm trying to get a general idea of how Earth and other planets behave over time for a project. While I can find plenty of good data about how much radiative heating there was, I can't find anything ...
Ale Kid's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
33 views

What is the most current thinking on the amount of heat transferred into the oceans from underwater thermal vents and volcanoes?

My understanding is that with the relatively recent discovery of many more volcanoes on the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Ridge (and perhaps other ocean ridges) and more deep trenches with thermal vents, that ...
Richard R. Forberg's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Ranking volcanic rocks influence to geothermal suitability?

I am not a geologist/geology student but I want to quickly know the influence of volcanic rock type to geothermal suitability. I have read read some journals and online articles but it seems there are ...
Nikko's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
813 views

Source of heat in the center of Earth

If I read around most of comments and articles on the Internet give two main reasons for the heat found in the depths of our planet : Super high pressure at the center of it Radioactive decay I need ...
Jack's user avatar
  • 123
2 votes
1 answer
222 views

Geothermal gradient near surface?

Is there a good chart of the geothermal gradient but near the surface? I haven't been able to find one because they are primarily studied at larger depths, but I would like to know the equilibria at ...
PhiEarl's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
67 views

How would district heating affect the temperature of the earth's mantle/core?

I recently came across this article outlining the use of our advancements in oil and gas drilling to implement "district heating" (or geothermal heating for our buildings/cities as a whole) ...
TCooper's user avatar
  • 377
4 votes
5 answers
13k views

Why does it feel hotter at night?

Why does the same temperature feel hotter at night? For example, 70 degrees literally feels hot at night when outside but during the day 70 degrees feels just mild when outside. Why is that? And ...
Ryan Amalfitano's user avatar
8 votes
0 answers
195 views

Wasn't Earth a magma ocean before core-mantle differentiation?

I've always thought that the process of planetary accretion was energetic enough to keep the proto-Earth entirely molten, and the subsequent evolution of the planet (the formation of the crust, etc...)...
Swike's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
105 views

Earth's interior heat ratio between pressure and atomic decay

What is our current understanding between the ratio of Earth's interior heat between the downward pressure and atomic decay?
John's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Are hot springs in non-volcanic areas radioactive?

Hot springs in non-volcanic areas are attributed to the interaction of water with hot rocks deep in the earth's crust: In non-volcanic areas, the temperature of rocks within the Earth also ...
Rebecca J. Stones's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

How does the subsurface earth temperature vary around the world?

In the US, when constructing a geothermal heat pump, common knowledge holds that anywhere in the country the subsurface ground temperature at a depth of 5 m will be around 10 to 15 C, which is a good ...
LShaver's user avatar
  • 1,410
9 votes
2 answers
561 views

Does the geothermal activity influence the climate in Iceland?

Iceland has a much more temperate climate than its latitude (~65 degrees) would suggest, thanks to the North Atlantic Current bringing relatively warm water/air so far up north. There is a lot of ...
Glorfindel's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
84 views

Will geothermal cooling be greatly affected by global warming?

Geothermal cooling has been an attractive option in the U.S. Northeast since it emits very little carbon into the atmosphere compared with compressed refrigerant systems which use lots of electricity....
Edward's user avatar
  • 11
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

If the Sun disappeared, how long would it take for the Earth to freeze beyond excavatable depths?

If the Sun disappeared How long would it take for the earth to freeze beyond excavatable depths? How long until it freezes to the core? (Is this different than without removing the Sun?) Would we be ...
Speedphoenix's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
74 views

Would the subsurface event leading to tree death at West Tern Lake in Yellowstone be visible in thermal imaging?

The New York Times article It’s Warm and Stealthy, and It Killed Yellowstone Trees and Turned Soil Pale describes an even that took place over the past few decades where a small and well-defined ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 7,076
3 votes
1 answer
41 views

How we can find hot spring genesis time?

Is there any way we can calculate the time when a particular hot spring come into existence? Also I wanted to know what is average time period for a active hot spring in general, whether it can flow ...
fly samc's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
30k views

At what depth does the underground begin to warm up?

Spring water comes out colder from being underground. But if you get deeper the temperature goes up. At what depth does the underground stop getting colder and begins getting warmer? Is there a map ...
Muze's user avatar
  • 1
15 votes
3 answers
623 views

Did the Geothermal Power Plant contribute to Pahoa's Lava Fissures?

There was lava in the area near the wells that the Puna Geothermal Venture facility created. The plant has nine wells that run as deep as 8,000 feet, according to Wil Okabe, managing director for ...
Travis J's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
453 views

What's that geothermal smell?

Visit any geothermal area like Iceland, Yellowstone or Rotorua, and you notice a disgusting smell. The web-pages all discuss hydrogen sulphide, but there is something else, like burned bacon. I'm ...
Gordon Stanger's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
110 views

Using heat at depth to generate power

I was thinking if there is any power plant in Earth that generates power by sending water at depths and getting steam in return? Just some random idea:
Waleed's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
0 answers
86 views

why does Earth have three wind cells instead of just one? [duplicate]

I wondered what causes three wind cells on earth -Hadley Cells, Ferrel Cells, and Polar Cells, instead of just a one big cell from equator to the pole? I'd like a straightforward, intuitive ...
ryan's user avatar
  • 83
9 votes
0 answers
276 views

How much heat flow is needed to maintain plate tectonics?

The Earth is emitting about 47 terawatts of heat energy, producing a heat flow of 0.0921 W/m$^2$ due to radiogenic and primordial heat energy. The heat flow drives mantle convection which in turn ...
Anders Sandberg's user avatar
20 votes
4 answers
6k views

Do fossil fuels insulate the crust from the Earth's interior?

I was doing a project for my English class, and I came upon the article Energy conservation in the earth's crust and climate change. I can't view the full text of the article, but the abstract piqued ...
tox123's user avatar
  • 587
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why is my pond / lake melting when the temperature is still far below freezing?

I recently moved into a new house with a 2 acre lake behind it. We’ve had 15 consecutive days below freezing, and the last 12 of those have been below 20 degrees (Fahrenheit)! Six days ago I shoveled ...
Geo's user avatar
  • 81
3 votes
1 answer
70 views

Are pumps used in geothermal systems?

The water held underground in a geothermal system is under high temperature and pressure. Are pumps used to raise the very hot underground water to the surface or does the water rise under its own ...
Hypnos Stratagem's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
73 views

Which geothermal power plant type is most effecient? [closed]

There are three geothermal systems that are commonly used: dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle[1]. What are the efficiencies of the plants from best to least efficient? I did a moderate amount ...
Hypnos Stratagem's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why is the temperature between the earth core and surface not distributed linearly?

So I read somewhere that the inner core temperature of Earth might be as high as 7000 °C. Depending on the composition of the different layers towards the surface, the temperature should decline ...
HeLi8's user avatar
  • 141
3 votes
0 answers
49 views

Thermal spring. Gas and water characterization

I am interested in assessing a thermal spring in the Ecuadorian Andes. However I have no experience in these type of geological features and I am not sure how to proceed. The spring is located over ...
Marlon Calispa's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
620 views

Does Earth's magnetic field arise from a fission reactor in its core?

I heard about the georeactor hypothesis (Herndon, 1993), which claims that there is a natural atomic fission reactor in the Earth's core giving rise to the geomagnetic field. Further, Herndon claims ...
Radja Callier's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
897 views

What is the current equilibrium surface temperature of Earth, i.e. without the sun?

Without the sun to keep the Earth's temperature topped up to something comfortable, what would be the equilibrium surface temperature range. It would obviously be a balance between outgoing radiation ...
Gordon Stanger's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
3k views

Earth's Internal Heat Engine

What is the internal heat engine of the Earth? Doing research, I found out that the external heat engine of the Earth is the Sun. However, when I did research on the internal heat engine of the Earth,...
user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

As the earth's core cools, will the size be affected?

Objects can change in size when their temperature changes. I'm wondering whether the cooling of the earth's core will affect it's size? Or will the change be insignificant due to the elements and ...
tt_Gantz's user avatar
  • 153
6 votes
1 answer
266 views

Why is ground water rising on these forest rings?

I am seeking a physical explanation for this; There is huge amount of such a Forest rings in Earth; (Link to Google Maps to one ~400 m Ring) They range in diameter from 30 metres to 2 kilometres, ...
Jokela's user avatar
  • 277
4 votes
1 answer
581 views

Why is fluid pressure in a fractured rock reservoir only dependent on hydrostatic pressure?

Why does lithostatic pressure not play a role? (or does it?)
ye-ti-800's user avatar
  • 413
1 vote
1 answer
75 views

Why more matters appear in hot equator, when they should flow to the cold poles?

I am reading a paper* about the application of the maximum entropy production (MEP) in Earth science (I'm new to MEP btw). The authors start with the system of gas molecules first. When the system is ...
Ooker's user avatar
  • 255
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is pure "heat" harmful to the environment?

Is heat, dissipated from a hot conductor to the surrounding air harmful to the environment? If it were large-scale would it have any negative eco-effect? Is a source of heat, considered harmful to ...
user3125's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
14k views

Digging depth and heat

I have a question about the underground heat at different distances from the core of the Earth. I was wondering if there was a depth at which you can dig that the decrease in heat (as a result of ...
I should change my Username's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
231 views

What is the geothermal potential of a volcano?

If there were lots of geothermal plants—even mobile ones—near a volcano, how much power could this provide? Could the sapping of some of the heat energy make the volcano less likely to erupt?
201044's user avatar
  • 587