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Magma Reservoir Under Yellowstone Is Much Bigger Than Previously Thought
schwit1 writes "The reservoir of molten rock underneath Yellowstone National Park in the United States is at least two and a half times larger than previously thought. Despite this, the scientists who came up with this latest estimate say that the highest risk in the iconic park is not a volcanic eruption but a huge earthquake. Jamie Farrell, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah, mapped the underlying magma reservoir by analyzing data from more than 4,500 earthquakes. Seismic waves travel more slowly through molten rock than through solid rock, and seismometers can detect those changes. The images show that the reservoir resembles a 4,000-cubic-kilometer underground sponge, with 6–8% of it filled with molten rock. It underlies most of the Yellowstone caldera and extends a little beyond it to the northeast."
What the worst thing that could happen? At least this time US (or what remain of it, another possitive effect) will not deny that they caused a climate change giving free pass to a greedy corporation to build it. And as a plus, global warming will not be a concern for long time.
Honestly, i would not let a squirrel plant an acorn around there, much less someone building a big bad geotermal plant. Maybe we won't change nothing, but if shit happens, it will be big.