Hidden Heat

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 67, 21 March 1935, Page 10

Hidden Heat

Vast stores of heat and power are hidden in tho bowels of the earth, waiting to bo tapped. Wo could do without coal and oil could wo but develop tho heat resources of tho earth. And in so doing wo should probably find new chemicals aud minerals of the greatest valuo to tho world’s commerce. Already somo uso is being made of tho internal heat of the earth in volcanic regions of Italy, wlicro tho steam issuing from the ground is tapped and devoted to various uses. It is suggested that bores should be sunk to admit water, which would bo converted into steam, and could then be utilised for mechanical' purposes. Excavation methods and machinery have been improved so much of recent years, that jt may bo possible to sink such bores and shafts to a depth of 30 miles. At present the deepest well ever bored is a holo six inches in diameter on a farm in America. It has been driven to a dcptli of 7379 feet, or nearly a milo and a half. Tho deepest mine shaft is at Morro Velho, Brazil, which descends about a mile and a fifth. As one expert points out, wo havo succeeded in searching only the earth’s crust. The Teal wonders have yet to be revealed to us.