Meet the winners and runners-up of the Statewide Poster Contest, a new initiative to teach students about geothermal energy
Helium Isotopes
Helium gas is a trace constituent of groundwater and thermal fluids, and the ratio of 3He to 4He can be measured with a high-precision mass spectrometer to determine whether it is derived from air, from the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium in the crust, or from the mantle. The latter is a characteristic feature of volcanic and geothermal gases.
Geothermal Glossary
Word of the Week – Adularia
Adularia Hydrothermal potassium bearing feldspar that forms in volcanic hosted geothermal reservoirs and is a favorable indicator of boiling and permeable conditions.
Word of the Week – Aquifer
Aquifer Porous and permeable rock unit or unconsolidated layer in the subsurface in which all the pores and voids are filled with water. Water supply for wells comes from aquifers.
Word of the Week – Basalt
Basalt Dark grey fine grained volcanic rock composed of plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine, with relatively low silica (45-52 wt %). The composition reflects an upper mantle origin. Basalt is the most common type of volcanic rock on Earth, and it erupts from mid-ocean...