What happens if you nuke a active volcano?

Geologists warn that trying to bomb a volcano might actually make things worse. The explosion of the bomb mixed with the build-up of pressure inside a volcano could amplify the eruption. The force would release even more ash and lava, spreading it even further than it would’ve gone with the volcano’s own power.

Can a volcanic eruption be stopped?

� To date there have been no successful efforts to start, stop or reduce a volcanic eruption; however, the ideas exists and discussion is underway. � Other techniques to control an eruption could include depressurization of the magma chamber or increasing the aperture of the vent to diffuse the energy of an eruption.

Can nukes cause volcanic eruptions?

The vast majority of fictional attempts to get a large explosive device into a volcano — something like a nuclear bomb — and the explosion from the bomb will cause the volcano to erupt.

Can a bomb stop a volcano?

This largely depends on the type of bomb and the state of the volcano, but you’d be hard pressed to stop the determined flow of lava. When Mount St Helens erupted in 1980, the initial blast was equivalent to around seven megatons of TNT. That’s broadly equivalent to the yield of modern thermonuclear weapons.

What happens if Yellowstone is nuked?

In a nuclear attack, the detonation would occur above ground, so the majority of the energy would be released into the air. So in conclusion, nothing would happen and Yellowstone would not erupt if for some reason a nuclear bomb was detonated near the supervolcano.

Can a nuclear bomb cause a volcano to erupt?

If the volcano is a stratovolcano (like a cone), then the nuclear bomb might do a little cosmetic surgery on the tip of the volcano, but probably wouldn’t ignite an eruption. The blast radius of the bomb is too small to reach the pressurized chamber of magma that sets off an explosion.

What happens to radioactive waste when a volcano erupts?

That radioactive waste could eventually make its way into groundwater, or leak from the volcano in the form of small pyroclastic flows. Those lava flows will harden eventually, resulting in a barren, toxic wasteland wherever the lava travels.

What would happen if you dropped a nuclear bomb into magma?

This is a nit-picking technicality, but dropping a bomb (even a nuclear bomb) into a bubbling cauldron of magma would be very anticlimactic. The bomb would melt without starting a nuclear reaction.

How do you explode a stratovolcano?

In order to start this essential reaction, and create a catastrophic explosion, the bomb would need to be detonated above the volcano mouth, or magically transported into the magma chamber’s center. Example of a stratovolcano. Mayon Volcano in Legazpi, Philippines. suronin/Shutterstock.

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