Coal beds cap geothermal resources

In Australia, researchers at the University of Melbourne assessing the potential of geothermal energy in Victoria have pinpointed the Latrobe Valley as a hot spot. Research found that temperatures beneath the valley were higher at 2,300 feet than anywhere else in Australia, and it lies beneath a coal bed. University geologist Mike Sandiford said “Southern Victoria has very insulating rocks and there are no more insulating rocks than coal. Rather than producing heat, they act as a thermal blanket and trap it underneath.