Yellowstone Supervolcano Mitigation Plan Proposed
NASA proposed a mitigation plan aimed at minimizing the negative impact of a supervolcano eruption at Yellowstone National Park. You see, the huge magma chamber that lies underneath the park – which causes the area’s hot springs and geysers – could potentially erupt into a so-called supervolcano that could literally put the human race at risk of extinction.
Science behind a Supervolcano
As indicated above, the main precursor to the onset of a so-called supervolcano is a complex underground network of magma chambers. About 70% of the heat from the magma seeps into the atmosphere through cracks. The other 30% builds up inside the magma, enabling a greater injection of gasses into the surrounding rock. If the magma in any part of the network reaches “critical degassing pressure,” these injected volcanic gases would cause a rock failure causing a mass eruption.
The worst-case scenario for such an event would be mass starvation from:
- A massive coating of ash and soot across large areas of land, preventing plant life from developing for years or decades.
- A mass extermination of animal life from fluorine, a chemical in the ash that causes a disease in animals called fluorosis.
- A huge release of Sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, creating volcanic winters that can drop local temperatures for years.
Obviously, utility infrastructure would be the least of mankind’s worries in this scenario! The good news is that the odds of a supervolcano occurring are extremely slim. There are 20 known supervolvanoes on Earth, including the one at Yellowstone, and they only erupt every 100,000 years or so.
NASA’s Mitigation Plan
Although the probability of occurrence is low, since the effect could be mass extinction, mitigation plans have been proposed.
NASA believes the solution is simple – cool the supervolcano down. Since the trigger is essentially a buildup of heat in the magma, releasing the heat would prevent the magma from ever reaching critical degassing pressure. The proposed cooling method involves drilling 10km into the magma and injecting water to circulate within.
Of course, the proposed volcano program is not without risk – drilling into a supervolcano could trigger the very eruption the tactic is designed to prevent. And, the cooling effect would happen very slowly, taking hundreds of years to eliminate the risk.
Is emergency preparedness for a supervolcano worth it? You be the judge!
Yes, but nobody will do anything about it. We’re kind of doomed I’m afraid…
This is terrifying. With all the technological advances today, how have we NOT figured out if or when Yellowstone decides to go. The surrounding areas should have some kind of evacuation plan, probably underground tunnels would be a safe bet that is if the volcano heat only rises up.
Very smart and simple mitigation plan. However, I don’t see anybody with power or influence making this a reality. I’d love to be able to do something about this to prevent an eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera. I’d rather not die choking on ash.
If there are 20 super volcanos, and we have no way to determine when any of them will erupt, wouldn’t a rational mitigation plan require that they ALL be addressed?