Harnessing the Power of Yellowstone’s Supervolcano

If a major eruption ever were to occur at Yellowstone’s “supervolcano,” the event could destroy huge swaths of North America. But in recent years, some scientists have proposed that the amazing power locked beneath the caldera could be harnessed to generate renewable geothermal energy. National Geographic writer Maya Wei-Haas examines the risks of a supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone and what it would take to use it as a power source.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more? 

Check out Maya Wei-Haas’ article about how bacteria discovered in Yellowstone led to the development of PCR tests used to detect Covid-19, and her article about the eruption of Cumbre Vieja on La Palma. 

See how the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory is monitoring the region on their website. 

Listen to more of Paolo Dell'aversana’s geomusic on his YouTube page.

Also explore:

Find out more about the geothermal facilities mentioned in this episode on their websites:

• Cornell University Borehole Observatory
• The Geysers in California 
• Krafla Magma Testbed

If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today.

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