Messing with super-volcanoes

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  • This is really a conversation Hoxton, that you and Heero should have as the two resident engineers here. But the thing that's flashing red in my mind is fracking.

    Fracking uses high pressure water and NASA are suggesting to use a similar method here to tame the volcano.

    A super volcanic eruption might stopped only to be replaced with a mammoth earthquake instead. As you say, what could possibly go wrong. But I take my hat off to NASA. Scientists have been saying for years that Yellowstone is deadly, and at least they're trying to come up with a solution.

  • Worrying. Although the problems with fracking (or strictly speaking the injection of its waste water rather than the actual fracking itself) are hugely overstated, it seems to be pretty well known that you don't inject water at high pressure in geologically unstable areas.

    Yes, good to know they are taking it seriously but is there really anything they can do? Probably would be better to invest in more research into volcanoes first before we start fiddling with them. A little knowledge as they say...

  • Iceland uses volcanoes for energy so that isn't a bad idea, as such. To try to prevent Yellowstone from creating a devastation similar to the extinction of the dinosaurs is a good idea and ranks up there with trying to prevent asteroids from hitting the earth.

    Best to find out how to do this now as an eruption is a long way off but the ground has risen under the Yellowstone monster and an eruption would be catastrophic.

  • The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted three times according to geologists.

    Quote

    The caldera formed during the last of three supereruptions over the past 2.1 million years: the Huckleberry Ridge eruption 2.1 million years ago (which created the Island Park Caldera and the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff); the Mesa Falls eruption 1.3 million years ago (which created the Henry's Fork Caldera and the Mesa Falls Tuff); and the Lava Creek eruption approximately 630,000 years ago (which created the Yellowstone Caldera and the Lava Creek Tuff).

    Wiki

    If you look at the intervals we're due for it to pop soon. The results would be devastating to the entire planet. If theres a way to reduce the pressure safely maybe it's worth a try. I suspect if it wants to blow we'll be unable to do anything except issue a warning and tuck our heads between our legs.

  • If playing about with Yellowstone has an incentive for getting free of oil dependency and if huge amounts of cash will be finding their way to the coffers of bigwigs in any kind of energy corporation, then messing about in Yellowstone's innards could be a very bad idea.

    It needs to be solely scientific at first as it's best not to wake sleeping giants unless you know what to do about them when they go on the rampage.

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