Reading | Question 1 of 14

According to the processes described in paragraph 1, what is the relationship between radioactivity and the steam produced by geothermal heat?

  • Geothermally heated steam is produced when water is exposed to radioactivity deep underground.
  • When water is introduced into holes drilled thousands of feet in the ground, it becomes radioactive and turns to steam.
  • Radioactivity heats Earth's interior rock, which in turn can heat water to the point it becomes steam.
  • When a reservoir of steam in subsurface rock is produced by radioactivity, it is said to be geothermally heated.
Geothermal Energy