Earth Science Stack Exchange
Earth Science Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [geothermal-heat]

66 questions
9
votes
1 answer

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 and geothermal conduction to the surface. This…
Gordon Stanger
  • 14,238
  • 23
  • 44
4
votes
2 answers

What Keeps the Earth Cooking?

If radioactive decay supplies only about half the Earth’s heat, what are the remaining sources of heat?
blunders
  • 4,601
  • 2
  • 27
  • 52
3
votes
0 answers

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) by pumping water underground to be heated by the mantle,…
TCooper
  • 377
  • 1
  • 6
2
votes
3 answers

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 clarification on both points. Pressure: while…
Jack
  • 123
  • 3
2
votes
2 answers

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
  • 131
  • 3
1
vote
1 answer

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 isolated, it has the maximum entropy and the…
Ooker
  • 255
  • 1
  • 5
1
vote
1 answer

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. Geothermal cooling is based on the fact that…
Edward
  • 11
  • 1
1
vote
0 answers

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 guessing some kind of sulphurous organic?
Gordon Stanger
  • 14,238
  • 23
  • 44