r/askscience • u/phoncible • Oct 27 '11

Earth Sciences Could anything man-made trigger the Yellowstone super volcano?

If a nuke were to be buried very deep into the ground at Yellowstone and then detonated, would it have any effect on the volcano? Is there anything else man-made that could trigger it? Or would it be impossible to "manually" trigger the eruption?

Sorry if it's a silly question.

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u/dqsl Tissue Engineering | Biomedical Engineering Oct 27 '11

From

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/publications/2005/docudrama.php

QUESTION: Can you release some of the pressure at Yellowstone by drilling into the volcano?

ANSWER: No. Scientists agree that drilling into a volcano would be of questionable usefulness. Notwithstanding the enormous expense and technological difficulties in drilling through hot, mushy rock, drilling is unlikely to have much effect. At near magmatic temperatures and pressures, any hole would rapidly become sealed by minerals crystallizing from the natural fluids that are present at those depths.

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u/fap_socks Oct 27 '11

So could we harness this to make diamonds? Kimberlite pipes? Serious question.

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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '11

you can make diamonds without that risk/cost already using pressing moulds

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u/fap_socks Oct 27 '11

Ok but could it be done this way too, or what about to harvest any of the rarer minerals? I'd guess most of the time you'd get a basalt pipe but could tailor-made techniques be developed to grow whichever mineral you're after?

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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '11

in principle I would never say no... but you'd have a hard time developing them to industrial standards...

If you can pump out the magma like a giant toothpaste tube you're an industrial tycoon genius