Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/sci...ncna799166

"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. ..."

(Sep 9, 2017 06:19 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: [ -> ][...] 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. ..."

About time they considered harnessing a resource like that.

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(Sep 10, 2017 03:40 AM)C C Wrote: [ -> ]

(Sep 9, 2017 06:19 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: [ -> ][...] 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. ..."

About time they considered harnessing a resource like that.

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Indeed, all we need to generate electricity is heat to produce steam with. The heat at Yellowstone is readily available and close to the surface, although conservationists may not like a big electrical station being in a National Park.

Here's the part of the article that perked my ears:

“Even though it’s unlikely to happen in anybody’s given lifetime, it will eventually happen,” Wilcox says of a supervolcano eruption. “One of these things is going to blow, and it’s going to be devastating.”

In a Yellowstone super-eruption, everything within 60 miles could be incinerated. Wyoming and surrounding states could be blanketed with three feet of volcanic ash, and some ash would likely spread over most of North America. The dust and gases released by the eruption would blot out enough sunlight to wipe out crops and plunge the world into a “volcanic winter” that could last for a decade or more. The ensuing famine could kill untold millions. – Scientists Hatch Bold Plan to Save Planet From Supervolcano – Sep.06.2017 https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/sci..._mc_170912 via NBC News