What if a terrorist had, say a 2kiloton nuclear bomb. And actually was able to place it in yellowstone lake on top of the bulge thats there. Or lets assume they had the capability to drill down into the bottom of the lake to place their device. When the bomb was detonated, would either scenario produce enough explosive force to set yellowstone off?

[Edited on 25-3-2004 by Star Eagle]

Yes.

But you'd get 100 times the casualties and infrastructer damage by blowing up a random average city.

But if you're looking to just be goofy with your h-bomb, sure, it would cause a lot of local geologic activity.

Well does anyone remember that one cartoon from the 90s about the Jet squadron like with all the different pilots from across time, and that one time the evil group of pilots tried planting bombs in volcanoes to set them off? Im serious it happened.

If it was a worst case scenario and yellowstone did blow. The long term effects would last for years, and that would cause more casualties and enviromental damage then one hit on a city.

Originally posted by Star Eagle
If it was a worst case scenario and yellowstone did blow. The long term effects would last for years, and that would cause more casualties and enviromental damage then one hit on a city.

and that would benefit the terrorists or anyone who blew it off how exactly?

It would benfit the terrorists for a couple reasons. One is the obvious loss of life that would occur. Two, it would destroy a well known national forest and a symbol of the US. And three, the econonic impact on the US would be devastated. The damage would be felt as far away as Minnesota. Homes, crops, and businesses would be destroyed. If they could set off the volcano nuking yellowstone would make 9/11 look like a single suicide bolmber.

Originally posted by abeyer
It would benfit the terrorists for a couple reasons. One is the obvious loss of life that would occur. Two, it would destroy a well known national forest and a symbol of the US. And three, the econonic impact on the US would be devastated. The damage would be felt as far away as Minnesota. Homes, crops, and businesses would be destroyed. If they could set off the volcano nuking yellowstone would make 9/11 look like a single suicide bolmber.

yeah, when you forget about the chances of volcanos other places around the world erupting, the excesses of gas and dust blocking out the sun, and the damage to the world economy i guess it would be a good idea...

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid

yeah, when you forget about the chances of volcanos other places around the world erupting, the excesses of gas and dust blocking out the sun, and the damage to the world economy i guess it would be a good idea...

Terrorists don't care about those things, they want to hurt the US anyway they can. Collateral damage of anyone or anything is irrelevant to them.

It probably would probably be a good idea for the current administration to nuke yellowstone.
They would have to fence it in and cover it for 'our protection".
Then miraculously when it was uncovered in the future all the oil had disappeared with no idea how except for the oil spills all the way to Texas.

Originally posted by Star Eagle
Terrorists don't care about those things, they want to hurt the US anyway they can. Collateral damage of anyone or anything is irrelevant to them.

yeah, they do want to hurt the US... but this would hurt them too. that's my point.

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid

yeah, they do want to hurt the US... but this would hurt them too. that's my point.

Yes your point is taken, but they use suicide bombers and so they don't care if they get hurt. I guess they just don't care about anything much.

I remembering talking and hearing about this last year. This happens to be a real possiblity not for how hard it would be to pull off but it if you were the people that carried out 9-11 how do you keep from getting caught again. "Plauseable Denighablity" it was a accident. I can see it on the news. .... . .. . .... .. .. ... has vision.

Good eveing I am dan rather a short time ago yellowstone national park the one we told you about a few weeks just started to erupt. There are also unconfirmed reports of some kind of radiaton comming in that area the local " Un Quote" feds are reporting that the terrorist's may have detonated a dirty bomb in the area of yellowstone.

I can see the spin already but it would make sense in order to cover up the detonaton of a nuclear bomb say at yellowstone you would just have to get the volcaino to explode at the same time.

More over it would not only cause the worlds largest super volcaino but it would also then create the worlds largest nuclear volcaino. I figured that if yellowstone ever went I have already figured out it would wipe out about 300 miles south of my location more then likly closer but when it blows it will take out most of wyoming, idaho, north and south dakoda and will cover ash across several mid western states. I also took into concideration what would happen if you turned it into a nuclear volcaino. Just taking into concideration how much radation you get when you explode a standard nuclear bomb the fall out would be as far as the ash would go and this doesnt include the wind factor. I would say it would contaminate most of the U.S. and then the ash would turn the world black for a while just with the ash in the upper atmosphere.

But it will explode soon enough so we will find out soon enough. The good thing though is if the terrorist dont set off a nuke in yellowstone it will blow up soon anyway and after it blows up that wont be a option for them.

Falcon

My understanding is that there are hundreds of cubic kilometers of lava, etc. under that bulge. An eruption--irregardless of how it was triggered--would devastate everything within a 200 mile radius, cover everything within a thousand mile radius with ash, and plunge the world into a "nuclear winter."

The detonation of the one nuclear device--even the world' most powerful hydrogen bomb--would pale in comparison to a natural eruption of that volcano. It is probably possible to trigger that eruption in much more subtle ways...

I wonder if yellowstone did go off and your were in Florida, would you hear the explosion?

The terrorists would have to be geologic geniuses! How would they know when the pressure was high enough to "blow it"? NO ONE KNOWS how volatile Yellowstone REALLY is right now. In geological terms we just found the place yesterday (actually a couple of nanoseconds ago). All we know is what it has done in the past. All we can hope is that the whole place is NOT a giant "Old Faithful".

It's a good idea in retrospect, but seriously, I don't think they'll ever aquire a nuke that size. But the fact remains, yellowstone is going to be the turning point for american life, if it were to blow, it wwould be devastating. But I'm sure the government has a contingency plan if such events were too occur. Terrorists do not think of long term effects when it comes to casualties. They seek instant gratification and results.

I think you're generalising the term 'terrorist'. A terrorist, by definition, I think, is someone who wants to bring terror into other peoples' lives, whether or not the victims are from the U.S. and whether or not the terrorists want to kill themselves, which, as an assumption, I think you're talking about the terrorists who are currently carrying out suicide bombings.

Originally posted by Star Eagle

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid

yeah, when you forget about the chances of volcanos other places around the world erupting, the excesses of gas and dust blocking out the sun, and the damage to the world economy i guess it would be a good idea...

Terrorists don't care about those things, they want to hurt the US anyway they can. Collateral damage of anyone or anything is irrelevant to them.

TIME is of the essence, how long do you think alqaida will remain funded?
they are already begging people to send them money, bin-laden is history, i dont know if he actually has been captured by the U.S, however...pakistan is obviously doing the best it can while it can.

and so, there will be an attack on something with both "collateral" damage, and possibly targets.

they-might-attack-zionist-jews.

that's something i never thought about, and so...one starts to consider the force with which they might act.

yellowstone? if a biological weapon, were to be piggybacked on the ASH and dust from the eruption, then THAT would mean annihilation. (black wings of death any1?)
a left speechless,
Cyrus

its only a matter of time before another crappy thing happens i for one am building a bomb shelter