Yellowstone Supervolcano Alert: The Most Dangerous Volcano In America Is Roaring To Life

[72-Jay]

^Someday we'll hear...Coming soon to a theater near you: Yellowstone The Movie

 

[Telstra]

You're suggesting that we nuke Yellowstone in hopes of preventing a volcanic eruption? Good Lord!

That was the suggestion i saw about the Yellow stone movie.

 

[xbuzzerx]

That was the suggestion i saw about the Yellow stone movie.

You mean like that movie where they re-heated the core of the Earth with nukes?

Those are movies.

 

[Kulindahr]

I thought powerful bombs would relieve the pressure ...
Nuclear fission or fusion is cleaner ?

If we could map the pressure variances below with precision within half a kilometer, and
if we could drill over halfway from the surface to a couple of critical points (probably two kilometers down), and
if we could get fusion devices to the bottoms of those holes while they're still functional, and
if we could set them off simultaneously....

we'd still have to evacuate at least six entire US states before the "big day", and
those states would be sterile for a good decade, and
they'd remain uninhabitable for twenty years....

plus most of the midwest wouldn't be growing any crops for a dozen years or so,
not to mention the loss of almost all east-west connections across the US....


I suppose we could do it, but there wouldn't likely be a lot of difference between that and the natural event. And the rest of the world might get pissed because odds are we'd have a couple of years with no summer, at least in the northern hemisphere, which would mean no harvests.

Yeah, we could release the pressure -- but not in anything resembling a controlled fashion, and not in a way that would eliminate the disaster aspect of it all.

 

[palbert]

Modern technology cannot relieve the pressure?

Well, Telly, you might have something there.

The Yellowstone geysers have been relieving pressure for hundreds of thousands of years. If we drill big vent tubes into the earth that might help.

Of course, we may unleash lavasaurus or magmasaurus.

 

[rareboy]

I think this was the program that we watched on the Discovery Channel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/supervolcano/programme.shtml#truth

 

[Alnitak]

^Someday we'll hear...Coming soon to a theater near you: Yellowstone The Movie

If I recall correctly, 2012 featured a Yellowstone eruption.

 

[White Eagle]

Can you imagine waiting thousands of years to shoot?

This is one of those things like a meteor hitting earth and killing us all. You cannot change it, you cannot prepare for and you likely cannot survive it.

So why worry about it?

I'm not really concerned that it will happen any time soon, it's just I haven't heard about it going to do so much damage when it does happen. I really wanted to see what Kuli had to say about it.

 

[White Eagle]

I think this was the program that we watched on the Discovery Channel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/supervolcano/programme.shtml#truth

Thanks that's an interesting site. links to videos of the programme.

 

[rareboy]

One of the best sites:

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/index.html

Note:

The U.S. Volcano Observatories will remain operational during the lapse of federal government appropriations. Basic volcano monitoring will continue, as will forecasts and regular updates of volcanic activity. However, because of reduced staff, instrument network maintenance will cease, meaning that our monitoring capability will degrade over time. This website will remain functional, but only those pages containing information about current volcano hazards will be maintained.

 

[CowboyBob]

Next time an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth we can get Sean Connery, Michael Biehn and Bruce Willis to fly to outer space and intercept it, set off a bomb to change it's direction directly into the volcano. That would plug the cone and stop the eruption.

It would make a pretty cool movie besides.

Tarantino? Coppola? Scorsese? Are you listening?

Where's Fritz Lang when you need him?

 

[JayHawk]

I do like the drill a hole theory to relieve pressure. Now if we can just convince BP that oil is down there then they will dig the hole for free.

 

[rareboy]

^ The irony is that there is enough geo-thermal energy in there to heat most of the US indefinitely.

 

[Benvolio]

Well, Telly, you might have something there.

The Yellowstone geysers have been relieving pressure for hundreds of thousands of years. If we drill big vent tubes into the earth that might help.

Of course, we may unleash lavasaurus or magmasaurus.

The geysers no nothing to relieve the pressure in the volcano caldera. The volcano merely heats water nearer the surface until the steam and water erupt.
Any attempt to relieve the pressure in the caldera would be like a pin in a balloon, causing the very eruption sought to be avoided.

 

[JayHawk]

^ The irony is that there is enough geo-thermal energy in there to heat most of the US indefinitely.

Yeah but how do they make it as profitable as that unstable oil. I mean how to you drum up market gains off of regional instability when it has to do with the earth molten core...... I have faith they can do it.

The geysers no nothing to relieve the pressure in the volcano caldera. The volcano merely heats water nearer the surface until the steam and water erupt.
Any attempt to relieve the pressure in the caldera would be like a pin in a balloon, causing the very eruption sought to be avoided.

Love to see your source. The Nat Geo program reported that the sulfur smells were a result of venting gasses from the volcanic lava flows. Additionally, on wiki... which for this instance is properly sourced....

Many of these features build up sinter, geyserite, or travertine deposits around and within them.

So while it keeps a major eruption at bay, the reality is that it is slowly building a deck that will eventually block the vents and then the top will blow.

 

[Benvolio]

Yeah but how do they make it as profitable as that unstable oil. I mean how to you drum up market gains off of regional instability when it has to do with the earth molten core...... I have faith they can do it.



Love to see your source. The Nat Geo program reported that the sulfur smells were a result of venting gasses from the volcanic lava flows. Additionally, on wiki... which for this instance is properly sourced....

.

If you wanted a source for my statement, you should have, and undoubtedly did read the very next sentence from Wikepedia after your quote.
:"Many of these features build up sinter, geyserite, or travertine deposits around and within them.
The various geyser basins are located where rainwater and snowmelt can percolate into the ground, get indirectly superheated by the underlying Yellowstone hotspot, and then erupt at the surface as geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles."

The point is that the water and steam are not coming out of the caldera and do not relieve the pressure in it. I said nothing about the gases.

 

[JayHawk]

No you said it isn't venting and then deflected to the reason water spouts. Regardless it does vent many gasses and therefore does vent from the thermal activity that causes the whole thing. Not enough to stave off an eventual massive ejection but just enough to slow the eruption down and build material a top the eventual eruption. So sure you are correct water boils and erupts because of heat transfer but you are incorrect that the situation causing the geysers does not vent both heat and pressure from the thermal activity. Subtle difference I understand, but different it is.

 

[Benvolio]

No you said it isn't venting and then deflected to the reason water spouts. Regardless it does vent many gasses and therefore does vent from the thermal activity that causes the whole thing. Not enough to stave off an eventual massive ejection but just enough to slow the eruption down and build material a top the eventual eruption. So sure you are correct water boils and erupts because of heat transfer but you are incorrect that the situation causing the geysers does not vent both heat and pressure from the thermal activity. Subtle difference I understand, but different it is.

If you are suggesting that the material building up are from inside the caldera, your source does not support that. The sinter and travertine are calcium carbonate (lime scale as in the teapot) while the geyserite is silica, all dissolved into the water and precipitating out at eruption. Follow the links from your wike quote. There is no suggestion that material is coming from the caldera.

 

[JayHawk]

And the sulfer gasses ? That doesnt come from the volcanic smelting pot?

 

[White Eagle]

Well, Telly, you might have something there.

The Yellowstone geysers have been relieving pressure for hundreds of thousands of years. If we drill big vent tubes into the earth that might help.

Of course, we may unleash lavasaurus or magmasaurus.

I think I will use magmasaurus, but shouldn't the M be capitalized?