In this first episode our host, Chris Katis discusses what geothermal energy is and how it is used...
Gneiss
Metamorphic rock that forms under intense pressure and high temperature and that is made of quartz, feldspar, amphibole and mica. Gneiss represents the highest grade of metamorphic rock, which is characterized by alternating bands of dark and light-colored minerals, foliation (i.e., parallel alignment of planar minerals) and tight folding. This rock type is common at mid to deep levels of continental crust.
Geothermal Glossary
Word of the Week – Vadose Zone
Vadose Zone A hydrogeological term that represents the volume of rock and unconsolidated materials between the ground surface and the underlying water table, in which pores and cracks are filled or partially filled with air.
Word of the Week – Vapor-Dominated Reservoir
Vapor-Dominated Reservoir he highest grade of geothermal resource in which self-flowing wells produce dry steam from a reservoir containing a mixture of hot water and steam. Larderello, Italy and The Geysers, California, USA are examples, and they are extremely...
Word of the Week – Wairakite
Wairakite A zeolite mineral of hydrothermal origin that was first identified in the Wairakei geothermal field in New Zealand by Alfred Steiner. It forms clear to white prismatic crystals, which have a distinctive cross hatched twinning, and it is commonly associated...