There are only 20 supervolcanoes in the world, each capable of producing an eruption that could have global consequences.
One of these is the Yellowstone supervolcano, or Yellowstone Caldera, located in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park.
It formed from three supereruptions over the past 2.1 million years.
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Yellowstone’s volcanism is relatively recent in geological terms, with very few other supervolcanoes experiencing such large eruptions in such a short period.
Of all the volcanoes we live amongst, Yellowstone is the one that volcanologists keep a close eye on in that its eruption could end in total disaster.
Even the likes of NASA have got involved, launching a first-time project to handle and contain any future eruption.
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Interestingly, the plans by the US space agency intend to not only save the world from the disaster but also transform Yellowstone into a source of electric power.
In documents shared with the BBC in 2017, Brian Wilcox from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology explained: 'I was a member of the NASA Advisory Council on Planetary Defense which studied ways for NASA to defend the planet from asteroids and comets.
'I came to the conclusion during that study that the supervolcano threat is substantially greater than the asteroid or comet threat.'
The scientists’ most logical solution for Yellowstone was to cool it down.
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After all, Yellowstone is essentially a giant heat generator with enough internal power to match six industrial power plants.
60 to 70% of this heat escapes through the surface’s cracks into the atmosphere.
The remaining heat builds up inside the magma, dissolving volatile gases in the surrounding rocks, which can eventually lead to an eruption.
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At this point, an explosive event becomes inevitable.
NASA proposes that if heat could be extracted then the volcano would never erupt, in theory.
They estimate that increasing the heat transfer from its magma chamber by 35% would neutralise the threat.
One suggested method is to increase the amount of water within the volcano. But of course, a challenge this big is one that's proving hard to sway the relevant authorities.
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'Building a big aqueduct uphill into a mountainous region would be both costly and difficult, and people don’t want their water spent that way,' Wilcox added.
'People are desperate for water all over the world and so a major infrastructure project, where the only way the water is used is to cool down a supervolcano, would be very controversial.'