That was the idea behind a thought experiment that several scientists at NASA JPL put together in 2015. The idea? Cool the volcano down. After all, heat is what often causes volcanic eruptions in the first place. It rises from Earth's core and builds up within the volcanic chamber until one day the pressure is so great it explodes. And Yellowstone is no different. Each year, it produces enough heat to power six industrial power plants. About 60 to 70% of that heat escapes through hot springs and geysers, like Old Faithful. But the rest stays underground, inside the supervolcano's magma chambers. And it's here that the scientists staged the attack. In the scenario, they propose to drill a series of wells around the perimeter of the supervolcano. The wells would be some of the deepest in the world, reaching up to 10 km below the surface. They'd pump cold water down into the wells, which over time, would cool a ring of rock around the magma chamber. Sort of like how coolant in your car carries heat away from its engine. And bonus, the water's heated to around 340 degrees Celsius as it moves through the chamber. So the plan is to loop it back through the wells and use it to drive an electric generator, which could power the surrounding area for tens of thousands of years, essentially transforming Yellowstone into a giant geothermal power station. And ultimately, paying for itself in the end.
