Has their been any scientific study concerning the oil/gas drilling in Western Wyoming upseting the magma chamber under Yellowstone? Is it possible?
2006-07-14 09:51:04 · 4 answers · asked by charyl92678 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Sorry---I mean "there" not "their" :-)
2006-07-14 09:56:13 · update #1
No matter who is in office, mining, oil, and gas development will stay out of National Parks. They are safe.
Not only would oil not be found near the magma chamber, but any drilling would not do much to change the state of affairs in the magma chamber. That would be like poping a gas truck with a sewing needle (except the truck is bigger and the needle is smaller). It's jsut not enough to do much.
2006-07-14 10:09:41 · answer #1 · answered by QFL 24-7 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that all proposed oil drilling needs to have an environmental impact study done and submitted to the EPA before it can commence. I wasn't aware of any oil drilling in Yellowstone. Wouldn't the magma burn up all the subterranean petroleum deposits?
"Occasionally proposals are suggested for ways to safely relieve the buildup of dissolved gas in the Yellowstone magma chamber, usually involving drilling holes or using explosives to release small amounts of pressure in a controlled manner. However, none of these ideas is likely to have a noticeable impact. The magma beneath Yellowstone is not very mobile, so release of dissolved gases from any given point will not do much to the chamber as a whole, and in any event, the scale of the problem is far too large for current engineering capabilities to handle"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera
See also:
2006-07-14 09:56:27 · answer #2 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't drill in the actual caldera of Yellowstone, nor near it from what I can see. I was just there two weeks ago. The drilling is almost 100 miles outside of Yellowstone, and from my understanding, the oil drilling does not go down deep enough to effect any magma. Magma is not near the surface in Yellowstone, the water gets heated far below the surface to create all of the thermal features.
2006-07-14 10:00:03 · answer #3 · answered by Olive Green Eyes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think that the oil that is present there would not be deep enough to have any affect on the magma.
2006-07-14 10:05:37 · answer #4 · answered by habaceeba 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋