Yellowstone: Bold Plan To Save Us From The Super-Volcano

Above, one of Yellowstone's hot springs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This may be a case of wishful thinking, but scientists are planning to prevent an eruption of the super-volcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park by siphoning heat to generate electricity.

According to NBC News:

Humans have witnessed many cataclysmic volcanic eruptions, from the one that destroyed Pompeii in 79 A.D. to the extraordinary Krakatoa eruption of 1883. But around the world right now there are about 20 so-called “supervolcanoes” that could outdo them all. 

One of these monster volcanoes lurks beneath Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone Caldera is an enormous craterlike depression measuring 30 miles by 45 miles and filled with molten material (magma). If it were to blast its innards out in a super-eruption, it’s no exaggeration to say that the human race could be imperiled. 

But scientists at NASA have sketched the rough outlines of a plan that they say would not only spare us from a deadly super-eruption but also turn the Yellowstone supervolcano into a source of electric power. In a write-up of the plan first shared with the BBC, the team argues that we could siphon heat from the caldera until it becomes too cool to erupt — and convert the geothermal energy into electricity.

The mentioning of Krakatoa gave me a chuckle. In 1969, a Hollywood movie about the cataclysmic eruption of Krakatoa was produced: Krakatoa, East of Java. Whomever titled the movie didn't check his geography books. Krakatoa is actually west of Java! 

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