Using Earth’s Energy Mechanical energy can be described as the energy of motion. Te hot water from Momotombo makes steam that spins large turbines. Tis mechanical energy generates electricity that people can use. Te energy coming from the fumarole


field at Momotombo feels very strong. I don’t need to record the temperatures here. Unlike Masaya, the ground is so hot, I can feel Earth’s geothermal energy coming up through the soles of my shoes. Before taking any step, I stab the ground with a walking stick. If the stick gets stuck, I know the ground is too hot to safely step there. I know the ground is too hot for trees or


plants to survive. No trees also means that I have no shade and no protection from the sun. Te sun gives off energy, too, you know. It’s called radiant energy. So now I’m feeling an energy transfer in two ways! Earth is transferring its heat energy to me from below, and the sun is transferring its energy to me from above.


One Last Stop Tere’s one more place I want to visit in Nicaragua. Tis is a special place to me—the Casita Volcano. As a boy, I would spend my summers here, and it’s where my interest in energy and volcanoes began. I’m using a lot of mechanical energy to


climb up this volcano. Now that I’m finally here, I need a snack. Te food we eat is a type of energy, too. It’s chemical energy. When our bodies digest food, it gives us the energy to walk, hike, climb, and run. I’m very curious to see how much


energy this volcano has. My family tells a story about my great grandfather cooking eggs in the fumarole fields here. Tis volcano has a few hot springs. I know that heat energy can transfer well in water, and that’s why I brought a raw egg with me. I carefully slide the egg into a hot spring


at the base of a fumarole. Ten I wait for eight-and-a-half minutes. I pull the egg out and wait for it to cool. When I peel off the shell, the egg is cooked. My great grandfather’s recipe worked! Tat marks the end of my fieldwork in


Nicaragua for now. Energy is all around us. Some volcanoes give off more energy than others. Harnessing this energy could be a good resource for the people of Nicaragua.


Wordwise


chemical energy: the stored energy in chemicals such as gasoline or in food


energy: the ability to do work


geothermal energy: the heat energy that comes from inside Earth


mechanical energy: the energy of motion and position


radiant energy: the energy that travels in waves, like heat from the sun


JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 7


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