What is a hydrothermal resource?

Hydrothermal resources are considered traditional geothermal resources because they can be
developed using existing technology and do not require the creation of a man-made reservoir with a
sophisticated geothermal system. The natural formation of hydrothermal resources requires three basic
elements: heat, air and permeability. When air is heated underground, the hot air or steam becomes
trapped in the porous rock and breaks under the relatively airtight bedrock, resulting in the formation of
a hydrothermal reservoir.

If conditions were right underground, people could use this hot water or geothermal steam in a drill and
then bring it to the surface to generate electricity. This type of geothermal system usually occurs near
tectonic plate boundaries, such as in the western United States. Sometimes resources are easy to find
because of surface features like hot springs. Sometimes conventional geothermal sources are "hidden"
without any hint of an underground reservoir on the surface.