science

Yellowstone volcano: NASA’s £2.7billion 'plan to save world' REVEALED


Yellowstone has erupted three times in history – 2.1 million years ago, 1.2 million years ago and 640,000 years ago. Scientists have previously revealed that, should an earthquake occur, it could take less than two weeks before a catastrophic reaction event. However, NASA may have a clever plan to stop the volcano from ever erupting again.

Tech Insider revealed during a mini-documentary series on their YouTube channel how the space agency worked on a $3.7billion (£2.7billion) project to cool the supervolcano.

The programme, dubbed “Defending Human Civilisation from Supervolcanic Eruptions” started in 2015 at the Jet Propulsions Laboratory in California.

The paper reads: “The prospect of attempting to prevent a supervolcano from erupting seems daunting and perhaps impossible. 

“However, it has been suggested that the hydrothermal circulation at Yellowstone may cool the underlying magma and may lead to decreased long-term volcanic hazards.”

Volcanoes like Yellowstone erupt when molten rock, known as magma, rises to the surface following the Earth’s mantle melting due to tectonic plates shifting. 

Currently, around 60 to 70 per cent of that escapes through hot springs and geysers, but the rest stays in the magma chamber as the pressure increases. 

NASA’s plan would see them drill a series of wells 10km (6.2m) deep around the perimeter of the supervolcano. 

They would then fill these with cold water, which would, over time, cool the rock around the magma chamber. 

However, the space agency will not be trying it any time soon. 

Current calculations believe the system would use 20 gigawatts of energy to cool Yellowstone to a safe temperature. 

This could not only take more than 16,000 years, but it would also cost as much as $3.5billion (£2.7billion).



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