🚀 go-pugleaf

"Gregory Shearman" <ZekeGregory@netscape.net> wrote in message 
news:11026522.MsRBahk0LV@netscape.net...
> Landy wrote:
>
>>
>> "Addinall" <addinall@addinall.org> wrote in message
>> news:1167544085.362178.229360@42g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
>>>
>>> Landy wrote:
>>>> "David Moss" <q0320811@mail.connect.usq.edu.au> wrote in message
>>>> news:MPG.2000942a106031ce98a258@news.bigpond.com...
>>>> > In article <en4jub$rl8$1@news-02.connect.com.au>, dontemailme@all.com
>>>> > writes...
>>>> >
>>>> >> So tell me what's wrong with this form of energy as an alternative 
>>>> >> to
>>>> >> coal?
>>>> >
>>>> > Isn't geothermal just another kind of nuclear energy?
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> Well yes, but one is nuclear fission and the other is not.
>>>
>>> Nope. Both fission.  Exactly the same process the Green
>>> nuts get all pantieless over.  What's more, it's not
>>> contained.
>>
>> No it is bloody not fission - see my reply to Greg and you might learn
>> something.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/y3tw4v
>
> Where Does Geothermal Energy Originate From?
>
> The heat in the Earth's crust comes from three main sources:
>
>   1. Solar radiation - Ground temperatures down to about 10 metres show
> seasonal variations and so most of that heat is solar energy from the sun.
>   2. Heat conducted from the underlying layers - Heat from the layers 
> below
> the crust (the mantle and core) conduct heat outwards towards the surface.
> On average, the temperature increases 25�C every kilometre below the
> surface. As well as this, heat may be brought up to the surface through
> cracks in the earth in the form of molten rock or lava during volcanic
> eruptions.
>   3. Radioactive decay - The major source of geothermal heat in the crust
> (from 50 to 75%, depending on the location) is the radioactive decay of
> elements such as uranium, potassium, and thorium. Although the heat
> released is quite small, the enormous mass of radioactive material in the
> earth produces so much heat that, in some places, it can melt solid rock
> and produce magma. The decay of the elements may occur slowly over huge
> periods of time (eg Potasium-40 has a half life of 1.3 billion years) or 
> in
> Stages (eg Uranium-238 decays through 14 stages before becoming the table
> element lead).

So?  It still isn't nuclear fission.  Go and look up what nuclear fission 
means.
Those 14 stages all involve alpha and beta decay.  These processes are NOT
nuclear fission.  Uranium does also decay by spontaneous fission (a 
completely
separate process), but at a rate that pales into complete insignificance 
compared
to the normal decay processes to lead.

cheers
Bill