# What would happen if you dropped a nuclear bomb into a volcano... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155 "2005-08-01T16:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thin\_Lizzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@Thin\_Lizzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Lizzy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/1 "2005-08-01T16:10:54Z")
and set it off? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/2 "2005-08-01T16:23:08Z")
Millions of years later, somebody starts a cult about you. > **[Xenu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu)** > > Xenu (/ˈziːnuː/), also called Xemu, was, according to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the dictator of the "Galactic Confederacy" who brought billions of his people to Earth (then known as "Teegeeack") in DC-8-like spacecraft 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the thetans (immortal spirits) of these aliens adhere to humans, causing spiritual harm. > These events are known within Scientology as "In... ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/3 "2005-08-01T16:32:04Z")
Depending on where it bursts it may not be that impressive as a decent size volcano releases far more energy than a typical nuclear weapon. It’s really impressive when you set off a nuke as an air burst as the shock wave can smash a lot of structures and the radiating energy frys everything rather crispy… actually reverse the order of that you get fried then smashed. Set off one underground and it’s not so spectactuler. Nevada has hundreds of craters from underground tests. When they go off a dome of earth rises up a little bit then collapses to form a hollow crater. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/4 "2005-08-01T16:33:11Z")
You would get a nuclear explosion in a volcano. Why, would you expect anything else to happen? Awaken a giant city-destroying monster that looks like a guy in a rubber suit or something? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/5 "2005-08-01T16:38:38Z")
Are there any circumstances where a volcano might be at least be hastened towards eruptions by a nuke? If there’s magma pressure pushing up on dome, and the dome is shattered by a nuke, might that not trigger an eruption? ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/6 "2005-08-01T16:42:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You would get a nuclear explosion in a volcano. Why, would you expect anything else to happen? Awaken a giant city-destroying monster that looks like a guy in a rubber suit or something? Maybe if you had one of your henchman detonate a hydrogen bomb inside a geologically unstable volcano a shockwave would reverberate throughout the Earth’s mantle, devastating all the countries that previously refused to pay your very reasonable $9 trillion ransom request? It seems plausible, provided the XJ9 agent you’re having lowered into a vat of acid in the basement of your Fortress of Pain doesn’t escape, of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/7 "2005-08-01T16:53:52Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > If there’s magma pressure pushing up on dome, and the dome is shattered by a nuke, might that not trigger an eruption? You really don’t want to set off [one of these](http://armageddononline.tripod.com/volcano.htm). I did wonder (when watching a program about the Yellowstone Caldera) if they could have it blow up _just a bit_. Rather than waiting for it to lay waste to humanity. The site I linked to says it’s overdue (others don’t). But we know it will go sometime. Isn’t there something that can be done short of terraforming Mars and moving out? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/8 "2005-08-01T16:55:08Z")
But what if you dropped a hydrogen bomb into a volcano during a hurricane and then a tsunami hit in the middle of a solar eclipse? ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/9 "2005-08-01T17:05:05Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > But what if you dropped a hydrogen bomb into a volcano during a hurricane and then a tsunami hit in the middle of a solar eclipse? Pray to be eaten first. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/10 "2005-08-01T17:22:20Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Pray to be eaten first. Polar bear, Shark, or Cthulu? ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/11 "2005-08-01T20:14:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > But what if you dropped a hydrogen bomb into a volcano during a hurricane and then a tsunami hit in the middle of a solar eclipse? I bet it would give you super powers, including the ability to transform into a giant guy in a silver and orange wetsuit with a light on your chest. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/12 "2005-08-01T22:35:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You would get a nuclear explosion in a volcano. Why, would you expect anything else to happen? Awaken a giant city-destroying monster that looks like a guy in a rubber suit or something? Don’t chew be makin’ no fun of no godziller. And there is NO zipper. If there were it would be distroyed by all them rockets and such. Geezus, don’t you scientific folk no nothin’? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-dropped-a-nuclear-bomb-into-a-volcano/315155/13 "2005-08-01T22:46:55Z")
This [site](http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/strange/20010627-0627strange55.html) claims that Dr. Evil’s volcano plan might work. They don’t _seem_ to be kooks. You may recall in one of the Austin Powers Movies Dr. Evil is going to drill a hole to the center of the earth and explode a nuclear bomb, causing every volcano on earth to erupt in Liquid hot mag-mah. These folks say using about 35,000 times the largest bomb ever exploded - or the combined USSR-U.S. nuclear arsenals - it **is** barely possible.