Geothermal

G is for geothermal activity.

Guys and girls gather in groups to view geothermal pools in Yellowstone National Park. In the park's geyser basins, tourists can see hot springs, mud pots, fumeroles, and geysers.

The various geyser basins are located where rainwater and snowmelt can easily percolate into the ground, get indirectly superheated by the underlying Yellowstone hotspot, and then easily erupt at the surface as geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles. Thus flat-bottomed valleys between ancient lava flows and glacial moraines are where most of the large geothermal areas are located. Smaller geothermal areas can be found where fault lines reach the surface, in places along the circular fracture zone around the caldera and at the base of slopes that collect excess groundwater. Because of the high elevation of the Yellowstone Plateau, the average boiling temperature at Yellowstone's geyser basins is 199 °F (93 °C). When properly confined and close to the surface it can periodically release some of the built-up pressure in eruptions of hot water and steam that can reach up to 390 feet (120 m) into the air. (Wikipedia)If you've ever seen a geyser in action, you may guess that a ghostly gremlin is under the ground guiding the grave gyrations of geologic energy. The gossamer steam changes to grand glorious eruption, sometimes gradually, sometimes gracefully, often beginning with a gurgle and ending in a gush.

What great power lies within the earth! It gives this old girl gooseflesh to contemplate.

Perhaps understanding and channeling these glorious geologic forces is one way to "go green".

Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of conventional fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels. (Wikipedia)

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