Geology, exploration, and initial developments of significant geothermal areas of the world are summarized in this report which is divided into two parts. Part 1 is a review of the geological and explorational aspects of geothermal energy development; areas of potential development in the Western United States are also discussed. The most favorable geological environment for exploration and development of geothermal steam is characterized by recent normal faulting, volcanism, and high heat flow. Successful exploration for steam consists of coordinated multidisciplinary application of geological, geophysical, and geochemical knowledge and techniques. These are reviewed. California leads in known geothermal reserves and is followed by Nevada, Oregon, and New Mexico. Specific prospective areas in these 11 Western States are described.

The advent of very high power, high energy pulsed laser systems has stimulated considerable thinking regarding how such systems might be used to engender thermonuclear microexplosions, and, in particular, explosions which may produce more energy than the inputted laser energy or even more energy than that used to pump the laser. Some of the basic physical principles and processes constraining laser-CTR proposals will be discussed, and application of them made to establish basic levels of feasibility of these published types of CTR schemes. It is demonstrated that this class of thermonuclear microexplosions has no potential CTR utility with lasers likely to be available in the next few years.

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