# Is there a way to prevent the Yellowstone Caldera from having a super eruption?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 3, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090 "2012-07-03T13:06:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/41 "2012-07-04T05:09:55Z")
> [@greenslime1951](#):
>
> Given that they’re almost all “red states,” I think it would be kind of ironic for them to be obliterated by God’s wrath.
**Moderator Note**
**greenslime1951** , political jabs are not permitted in GQ. I am making this a note instead of a warning since you are new here and this is evidently intended as a joke. But don’t do this again.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/42 "2012-07-04T18:14:37Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> Thankfully, the damage seems to avoid Canada.
Because even supervolcanoes know that Canadians are too nice to blow up 😃
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### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/43 "2012-07-04T22:56:55Z")
> [@Oakminster](#):
>
> And the Professor. He can make anything out of coconut stuff.
Except a patch for a damaged boat hull.
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### Author:  [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/44 "2012-07-05T04:54:29Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#):
>
> Except a patch for a damaged boat hull.
Or build entirely new boats. Or canoes. Or even rafts.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/45 "2012-07-05T05:04:23Z")
Or appropriately signal passing ships. Or catch a ride from the regular visitors.
Back on topic;
Bore holes would be mere inches in diameter. Hardly seems likely that sufficient magna would come through each hole while remaining liquid all the way to the surface. If it did some all the way up, the holes themselves would necessarily enlarge themselves through turning the surrounding earth to liquid form. How large they would become and what kind of pressure coming through them would be unknowable.
Then there’s the volume issue. The [Lava Creek Tuff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava_Creek_Tuff) residue of the last eruption from 640,000 years ago, contains an estimated 240 cubic miles of material. If we were to somehow be able to limit a flow of that size to an area 100 miles in diameter, it would be a mere 160 feet deep, but still, there’s no possible way we could control such an event or guarantee the limits of it. Besides the idea of consigning nearly 8,000 square miles of land to be buried under molten lava…
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### Author:  [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/46 "2012-07-05T05:24:46Z")
What if we started systematically haulling trucklods of material out of the caldera? If we kept at it night and day for a couple 1000 years it would at least reduce the amount of material blown into the atmosphere when it does go.
Me I’m getting in the car and driving to Maine as soon as it starts acting up.
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### Author:  [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/47 "2012-07-05T12:30:43Z")
> [@zoid](#):
>
> What if we started systematically haulling trucklods of material out of the caldera? If we kept at it night and day for a couple 1000 years it would at least reduce the amount of material blown into the atmosphere when it does go.
I think the surface soil is not the big problem. Consider the eruption of [Mount Pinatubo:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pinatubo)
> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> It ejected roughly 10,000,000,000 tonnes (1.1×1010 short tons) or 10 km3 (2.4 cu mi) of magma, and 20,000,000 t (22,000,000 short tons) SO2, bringing vast quantities of minerals and metals to the surface environment.
The magma and SO2 are not from the surface soil; they’re material brought up from the depths. Some surface soil may get scattered and blasted skyward during the initial rupture, but the eruption lasted for several days, and it’s those several days during which the subsurface material is being ejected.
> [@Perderabo](#):
>
> Once we have an artificial mountain range sitting on top of it, it will never erupt.
Given that most volcanoes are in fact actual mountains, it doesn’t seem like building an artificial mountain on top of a magma chamber will do much to stop an eruption. Just for reference, [Mauna Kea](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea)’s summit is 33,000 feet above the ocean floor, and it is still active.
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### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/48 "2012-07-05T12:37:02Z")
I don’t know where Ima gonna go when the volcano blows…
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/49 "2012-07-05T12:51:45Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#):
>
> Mormons, Texans, Idaho survivalists, flaky Californians… I think we should be encouraging the eruption. I see no downsides here. It’s going to be tough to find corn and other grains, but Milwaukee is still there so at least we can put those we find to good use making beer.
Please. To paraphrase Saruman: “Do you know how how Miller Beer first came into being? It was grain once, taken by the dark brewers, tortured and mutilated. A ruined and terrible foamy beverage.”
For that alone, we should build a giant steel cone over the Yellowstone Caldera with a pipe coming out the top that runs over to Milwaukee.
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/50 "2012-07-05T13:05:33Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#):
>
> You could try sacrificing virgins, if you can find any.
That only works with regular volcanos, for Yellowstone you’d need super-virgins.
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### Author:  [@jkirkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkirkman)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/51 "2012-07-05T13:43:29Z")
> [@s0meguy](#):
>
> “The U.S. Geological Survey, University of Utah and National Park Service scientists with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory maintain that they “see no evidence that another such cataclysmic eruption will occur at Yellowstone in the foreseeable future. Recurrence intervals of these events are neither regular nor predictable.”[13]”
>
> That statement was made in 2005. The last eruption was 640000 years ago, so I doubt we’ll see an eruption in our lifetime.
I do not think this cite means what you think it means…
I am not, however, disputing your very reasonable opinion in regards to an eruption in our lifetime 😉
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### Author:  [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/52 "2012-07-05T14:15:03Z")
> [@Quercus](#):
>
> As soon as you let us know
> a) how to keep the holes from plugging with solidified magma;
> b) where exactly to put the holes so that they don’t weaken the overlying rock enough to allow a catastrophic release of pressure;
> c) how much lava to allow to exit the holes so as to reduce pressure to safe levels (you’ll need to tell us what a safe level is, by the way) and how fast we can let it out so as to avoid a catastrophic release of pressure;
> d) how to control the lava flow so as to avoid a catastrophic release of pressure, and how to stop it once we’ve gotten to a safe pressure level; and
> e) how draining the magma will affect the region’s geology, so we can prepare for those changes
>
> then we can start costing things out and deciding if there’s anywhere we can put the lava.
Also, how to drill into magma without the magma melting your drill bit.
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### Author:  [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/53 "2012-07-05T15:55:21Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#):
>
> Also, how to drill into magma without the magma melting your drill bit.
magma is 700-1300 C commonly while tungsten carbide commonly used in drill bits melts at 2870 C
> **[Tungsten carbide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten_carbide)**
>
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but sure, the engineering problem is drilling and keeping a 100 meter wide hole open, which is probably what you’d need, I suspect it would look more like strip mining than drilling, eg one giant sloped hole going down 6-10 km to the magma chamber, which would have to be 30 or 40 km wide to stop the sides collapsing.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/54 "2012-07-05T16:00:33Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#):
>
> That only works with regular volcanos, for Yellowstone you’d need super-virgins.
Well, I’m not volunteering to ask Supergirl if she’s still a virgin.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/55 "2012-07-05T16:24:19Z")
Wouldn’t Supergirl have am invulnerable hymen? Pity the poor ordinary dude who tries to get it on with her…
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/56 "2012-07-05T16:31:32Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> Wouldn’t Supergirl have am invulnerable hymen? Pity the poor ordinary dude who tries to get it on with her…
Not to her finger. And Superman is a cousin which is fine by most states.
Or that special Green Rabbit.
or Krypto. :eek:
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/57 "2012-07-05T16:51:45Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> Wouldn’t Supergirl have am invulnerable hymen? Pity the poor ordinary dude who tries to get it on with her…
Woman of Steel, Man of Kleenex?
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### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/58 "2012-07-05T17:28:34Z")
Get a really big can of liquid nitrogen and freeze all the magma.
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### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/59 "2012-07-05T17:36:44Z")
A kajillion gallons of Wart-X should do the job.
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### Author:  [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-prevent-the-yellowstone-caldera-from-having-a-super-eruption/627090/60 "2012-07-07T17:49:43Z")
When the eruption is starting, trigger a series of megatsunamis big enough to wash that far inland and drown the bastard.
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