Thermal sources are widespread on the surface of the Earth. Geysers of Kamchatka, Iceland and Yellowstone National Park gained worldwide fame. Yes, and many other places where hot and warm waters reach the surface in a more “peaceful” and calm manner, are well known not only in the countries in which they are located, but also far beyond their borders.
Many thermal springs have healing properties. This is due to the fact that, rising to the surface, hot water dissolves some rocks found on its way, rich in elements and minerals that are useful to humans.
Most of these sources are associated with volcanic activity. They are usually located in seismically active terrain where underground fire comes close to the surface of the Earth. Often, hot water outlets have medical facilities. These are the Caucasian Mineral Waters, the balneological resorts of Southern China, the health resorts of Italy and Bulgaria.
Thermal springs, depending on the composition of the water, are used to treat various diseases. Potassium-sodium will help with diseases of the respiratory system, skin or nervous system. And radon sources are good in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system: rheumatism, radiculitis, joint diseases. The composition of hot springs can be different (depending on which rocks prevail at the place where water reaches the surface).
Water from such sources can be used both for oral use and for bathing. In most cases, a doctor’s consultation is necessary for the correct dosage or for choosing the method of using water. By temperature, thermal springs are divided into warm (with a water temperature of twenty - thirty seven degrees above zero Celsius), hot (thirty seven - fifty degrees) and very hot (above fifty degrees).
Interestingly, some thermal springs are located away from seismically active regions. In these cases, water comes from a great depth. For every kilometer of depth, the temperature of the rocks that make up the earth's crust rises by thirty degrees. Therefore, wherever there are cracks in the earth's crust extending to a depth of more than a kilometer, thermal springs can exist. Tyumen, located in a seismically absolutely inert zone, perfectly confirms this rule. In the Urals and Western Siberia, resorts located in the Tyumen and Yalutorovsk regions are widely known and popular.
The thermal spring can be used not only for recreational purposes. In 1967, the world's first geothermal power plant began operations. It was the Paratunskaya GeoPP in Kamchatka. Now power plants of this type (except Russia) are in twenty-three countries located on all continents. GeoPP has a great advantage over other power plants: they are independent of environmental conditions and do not use non-renewable resources to produce electricity. It would seem: here it is, an ecologically and economically flawless source of energy! But not so simple. Although economically, the GeoPP is indeed very profitable, but with the environment, often not everything is as rosy as it seems at first glance.
The fact is that the hot water used at the GeoPP often contains various substances harmful to humans and animals. In particular, these are salts of certain metals. Therefore, the used water must not be discharged into water bodies of the earth's surface. We got out of the situation by pumping waste water back to the underground aquifer.
