Magma

  Molten or partially molten rock at temperatures ranging from 1,260 F to 2,880 F (700 C to 1600 C). Some magma bodies are believed to exist at drillable depths within the Earth's crust, although practical technologies for harnessing magma energy have not been developed. If ever utilized, magma represents a potentially enormous resource.

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  Naturally occurring molten rock, generated within the earth and capable of intrusion and extrusion, from which igneous rocks are thought to have been derived through solidification and related processes. It may or may not contain suspended solids (such as crystals and rock fragments) and/or gas phases.

  U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration's Energy Glossary

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  The molten rock and elements that lie below the earth's crust. The heat energy can approach 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and is generated directly from a shallow molten magma resource and stored in adjacent rock structures. To extract energy from magma resources requires drilling near or directly into a magma chamber and circulating water down the well in a convection- type system. California has two areas that may be magma resource sites: the Mono- Long Valley Caldera and Coso Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Areas.

  California Energy Comission. Dictionary of Energy Terms