NASA has unveiled a plan to prevent the eruption of supervolcanoes, such as the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming. The ambitious, $3.5 billion plan would involve pumping water deep into the Earth to cool the volcano to prevent it from erupting — and the plan would result in the generation of cheap, low-emission electricity in the process.
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The Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has issued an alert warning regarding Mount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, after finding increased volcanic activity. At the same time, some residents living near the massive Toba supervolcano are reporting heat, hot steam and gas emanating from the ground.
BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that Sinabung has the potential to spread hot ash clouds to the south and southeast as far as 7km, and the volume of lava coming from the mountain has reached 3 million cubic meters. A call for residents within 7km of the crater to evacuate has also been made. Mount Sinabung has seen two previous eruptions in recent years, once in 2010, and again in 2013.
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