What are superhot rocks?

Superhot rocks are rocks that have been heated up a lot, almost like they're on fire from inside the Earth.

Imagine you're holding a piece of chocolate in your hand, it’s warm, but not too hot. Now imagine putting that same chocolate into an oven and turning it all the way to "broil." That's what happens to superhot rocks: they get really, really hot deep underground because there's a lot of energy from the Earth's core.

Superhot rocks are like giant batteries inside the Earth. When you heat them up enough, they can push hot water and steam up through cracks in the ground, kind of like how boiling water pushes steam out of a teapot. This is how some places get geothermal energy, which people use to power homes and even cities.

Think about a campfire. When you add more logs, it gets hotter. Superhot rocks are like that big, underground fire, they're super hot because there's so much fuel (energy) deep inside the Earth. Scientists study them to learn how to use that heat better and make clean energy for everyone!