My first impression is to call "BS", but I need to think on it a bit. I hesitate because this is exactly the solution big Gov't would go for - hey, let's vent it!......but, at the appropriate scale, it's almost the stupidest idea on earth - how could they vent a regional scale phenomenon? First, the most likely impact from their drilling is to mess up the natural cycle of the geysers and any natural venting system. The three (or more) Yellowstone eruptions were due to magma surges that uplifted enough to allow sufficient water (think Yellowstone Lake volume) to interact with the magma to produce catastrophic steam-generated eruptions which resulted in gigantic eruptions with expulsion/depletion of the magma chamber and collapse - resurgent calderas.....a few drill holes wouldn't ameliorate/mitigate that kind of situation....it's not a pressure relief situation until enough water hits the magma, the magma chamber literally blows it's top off, then lather, rinse, repeat after the surface heals....as long as the magma source is still producing.
Resurgent Calderas
Resurgent calderas are the largest volcanic structures on Earth, ranging from 15 to 100 kilometers (9 to 62 miles) in diameter. They are not associated with one particular volcano, but instead result from the widespread collapse of vast magma chambers. This caldera collapse is produced by incredibly destructive eruptions known as pyroclastic sheet flows, the likes of which have not occurred in historic times. The Toba Caldera on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is the newest resurgent caldera, created roughly 74,000 years ago by the largest volcanic eruption in the last 25 million years. This massive eruption ejected 2,800 cubic kilometers (1,740 cubic miles) of debris. The eruption left a caldera 100 kilometers (62 miles) long, 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide, and 508 meters (1,666 feet) deep, making it the largest volcanic structure on Earth. The caldera is now home to Lake Toba and Samosir Island. Samosir was formed by the uplift of the caldera floor due to magma pressure below. This uplift is common to all resurgent calderas as new magma fills in the empty magma chamber over thousands of years. The Yellowstone Caldera, located in Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming, is the result of the Yellowstone Supervolcano. This enormous volcano complex last erupted about 640,000 years ago. The Yellowstone Caldera is more than 72 kilometers (45 miles) long. Recent scientific analyses have revealed that the caldera’s magma chamber is 2.5 times larger than previously thought, measuring an incredible 90 kilometers by 30 kilometers (55 miles by 20 miles) and 10 kilometers (6 mi) deep. These new measurements put the magma chamber at roughly the same size it was during its last eruption. |
