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Word: fumariolum (lookup in dictionary) (lookup stats)
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Occasionally steam emerges through fissures in the ground called fumaroles (from the Latin word fumariolum; meaning smokehole), and the simplest way to prospect for this geothermal energy is to look for such vaporous leaks in the earth's crust. But in areas where the energy remains trapped underground, geologists must use more sophisticated techniques. One method employs infra-red aerial photography. Since the infra-red film is sensitive to heat, geothermal areas are likely to show up lighter in the picture. Another method measures the earth's electrical conductivity, which increases with the presence of subsurface hot water...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Geophysics: Percolators in the Earth | 7/26/1968 | See Source »

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