The ‘Lid’ on Yellowstone’s Supervolcano Is Preventing a Massive Eruption

Deep beneath the scenic tourist hotspot of Yellowstone, scientists discovered something simultaneously cool and a little bit scary in the park’s legendary supervolcano.

According to a study published in Nature, there’s a massive cap of magma just 2.36 miles under the surface. It’s called a “volatile-rich layer,” and it’s all that separates us from a gigantic, violent eruption that could have devastating consequences for all life on Earth.

This lid acts like a high-pressure cork, keeping in steam, carbon dioxide, and other volcanic gases that could otherwise build into a tremendous eruption of the supervolcano beneath Yellowstone.

The researchers, led by Brandon Schmandt of Rice University, used a vibroseis truck, which is essentially a seismic jackhammer on monster truck wheels, to send tremors into the ground and read the echoes. I used the term “vibroseis truck” at first because I didn’t want to distract you from the facts of the story, seeing the truck’s actual name on Wikipedia is “seismic vibrator.” You may now giggle at your leisure.

Instead of more rock, they found a boundary that was bouncing their signals back. That boundary isn’t just molten lava. It’s layer after layer of rock and gas that would probably build up to a violent eruption if not for the fact that, according to computer models, the gas is slowly escaping through cracks and channels throughout Yellowstone’s complex underground hydrothermal system.

In essence, Yellowstone’s supervolcano is holding back its violent rage with deep therapeutic breaths. By studying this lid, scientists could one day better predict eruptions, tap into geothermal energy, or even store carbon dioxide underground. That lid may not just be saving us from an extinction-level eruption, but it might one day help us in the fight against climate change.