Antimatter deep underground may be key to predicting quakes

[The Straight Story]

Antimatter deep underground may be key to predicting quakes

Alasdair Wilkins — A massive particle detector located a mile underground has found bits of antimatter known as geo-neutrinos deep inside the Earth. The find proves the Earth derives most of its power from radioactivity and could help us predict volcanoes and earthquakes.

Geo-neutrinos are antimatter particles created by the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium deep within the Earth's crust and mantle. Although geo-neutrinos had first been found in 2005, this is the first real confirmation that they originate in large quantities deep underground. The successful detection using what amounts to a geo-neutrino "telescope" also means geologists have gained a powerful new tool to examine what the Earth's interior looks like.

The presence of these particles confirms radioactivity is a significant source of the Earth's internal power. It's long been thought that the decay of uranium and thorium heats up the Earth and contributes to convection processes in the mantle, in which rock flows steadily upwards, carrying extreme heat with it. This then powers plate tectonics, which is the primary force behind volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Geo-neutrinos have now tipped the scale towards radioactivity as quite possibly the single biggest source of geothermal energy.


http://io9.com/#!5584562/antimatter-deep-underground-may-be-key-to-predicting-quakes

[LARED]

1. Call me a skeptic but

I'm not convinced finding bits of geo-neutrinos are proof of much, let alone proves most of the Earths power is derived from radioactivity.