<p>I'm gonna answer this part of the question.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Alternatively, <strong>would it be possible to terraform the volcano to make its eruptions less dangerous?</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>If there was the infrastructure and if we are smart enough. Take for example then-president <a href="https://www.axios.com/trump-nuclear-bombs-hurricanes-97231f38-2394-4120-a3fa-8c9cf0e3f51c.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Trump suggesting nuking the eye of Hurricanes</a>, but the nuclear fallout would move with the remaining Hurricane, which could cause devastating consequences. We should not apply the same thinking and terminology, that President Trump thought in slowing eruptions or making them safer.</p>
<p>Bombing the center of an active volcano erupting from a logical Perspective would seem workable and cool, hey but if you actually do this with a normal bomb or missile this could make the eruption worse (Hence, the bomb will explode with the volcano spreading more projectiles magma or ash)</p>
<h2>Terraforming the Volcano</h2>
<p>Before an eruption occurs, we could &quot;terraform&quot; the volcano to slow the progression of Lava or possibly reduce the explosion intensity. we could build sturdy, barricaded walls with materials with high melting points, we could order an evacuation.</p>
<p>We cant simply use water to extinguish and solidify the water because magma below the stone-looking lava can Bulldoze around, destroying everything.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T19:17:49.870Z
...I don’t believe I suggested bombing the volcano...
Globin347
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T19:53:45.490Z
@Globin347 I didn't say you did
Tardy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T19:54:31.623Z
I said Trump Said it, as an example to not to bad thinking. Read More closely.
Tardy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T23:05:20.853Z
Apologies. The bomb reference just seemed a little out there.
Globin347
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T10:47:55.333Z
Water was successfully used to cool and slow down a lava flow in Iceland in 1973, see this USGS report: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/0724/report.pdf
Jean-Marie Prival
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T17:53:23.383Z
2021-03-24T19:57:52.920Z
2021-03-24T19:57:52.920Z
Tardy
<p>The ultimate fate of all active volcanos is to become extinct volcanos, and eventually, objects that are barely recognizable (or not recognizable at all) as extinct volcanos.</p>
<p>This process from pre-volcano to active volcano to extinct volcano to barely recognizable extinct volcano takes a long time, even by geological standards of &quot;a long time&quot;. The oldest elements of the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain predate the Chicxulub crater, and even those oldest elements are easily recognizable as extinct volcanos. Active volcanos are active for only short periods of time (short by geological standards), a few hundred thousand years at most. That of course is a very, very long period of time by human standards.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Alternatively, would it be possible to terraform the volcano to make its eruptions less dangerous?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Consider the follow hypothetical doctor-patient conversation: &quot;Doctor, it hurts when I do this!&quot; (The patient then bonk himself on the head.) The doctor's response is simple: &quot;Don't do that then.&quot; The easiest way to do this with regard to active volcanos is to stop having humans live near active volcanos. What is feasible is to vastly improve the ability to predict when volcanos will erupt. The state of the art in this regard is rather lousy (the state of the practice is lousier still),</p>
<p>That is not feasible; there are too many humans who already live near active volcanos. Terraforming also is not feasible. While the amount of energy released by volcanos per year is a lot less (orders of magnitude less) than the amount of energy the Earth receives from the Sun, it is still orders of magnitude higher than the amount of energy consumed by humanity. To make matters worse, that human consumption is widely dispersed while volcanic energy is concentrated in a few places.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-22T03:40:53.090Z
2021-03-22T03:40:53.090Z
David Hammen
<p>Suppose a violent, dangerous composite volcano whose eruptions destroy the nearby countryside exists. Would it be possible for this volcano to change such that future eruptions are less violent, and less dangerous to anyone living nearby?</p>
<p>Alternatively, would it be possible to terraform the volcano to make its eruptions less dangerous?</p>

<volcanology>
Is it possible for an active volcano to become less violent over time?
Globin347
# Is it possible for an active volcano to become less violent over time?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-03-21)

Suppose a violent, dangerous composite volcano whose eruptions destroy the nearby countryside exists. Would it be possible for this volcano to change such that future eruptions are less violent, and less dangerous to anyone living nearby?

Alternatively, would it be possible to terraform the volcano to make its eruptions less dangerous?

**Tags:** volcanology


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-03-22. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

The ultimate fate of all active volcanos is to become extinct volcanos, and eventually, objects that are barely recognizable (or not recognizable at all) as extinct volcanos.

This process from pre-volcano to active volcano to extinct volcano to barely recognizable extinct volcano takes a long time, even by geological standards of "a long time". The oldest elements of the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain predate the Chicxulub crater, and even those oldest elements are easily recognizable as extinct volcanos. Active volcanos are active for only short periods of time (short by geological standards), a few hundred thousand years at most. That of course is a very, very long period of time by human standards.

> Alternatively, would it be possible to terraform the volcano to make its eruptions less dangerous?

Consider the follow hypothetical doctor-patient conversation: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this!" (The patient then bonk himself on the head.) The doctor's response is simple: "Don't do that then." The easiest way to do this with regard to active volcanos is to stop having humans live near active volcanos. What is feasible is to vastly improve the ability to predict when volcanos will erupt. The state of the art in this regard is rather lousy (the state of the practice is lousier still),

That is not feasible; there are too many humans who already live near active volcanos. Terraforming also is not feasible. While the amount of energy released by volcanos per year is a lot less (orders of magnitude less) than the amount of energy the Earth receives from the Sun, it is still orders of magnitude higher than the amount of energy consumed by humanity. To make matters worse, that human consumption is widely dispersed while volcanic energy is concentrated in a few places.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2021-03-24. Score: 1

I'm gonna answer this part of the question.

> Alternatively, **would it be possible to terraform the volcano to make its eruptions less dangerous?**

If there was the infrastructure and if we are smart enough. Take for example then-president [Trump suggesting nuking the eye of Hurricanes](https://www.axios.com/trump-nuclear-bombs-hurricanes-97231f38-2394-4120-a3fa-8c9cf0e3f51c.html), but the nuclear fallout would move with the remaining Hurricane, which could cause devastating consequences. We should not apply the same thinking and terminology, that President Trump thought in slowing eruptions or making them safer.

Bombing the center of an active volcano erupting from a logical Perspective would seem workable and cool, hey but if you actually do this with a normal bomb or missile this could make the eruption worse (Hence, the bomb will explode with the volcano spreading more projectiles magma or ash)

## Terraforming the Volcano

Before an eruption occurs, we could "terraform" the volcano to slow the progression of Lava or possibly reduce the explosion intensity. we could build sturdy, barricaded walls with materials with high melting points, we could order an evacuation.

We cant simply use water to extinguish and solidify the water because magma below the stone-looking lava can Bulldoze around, destroying everything.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: ...I don’t believe I suggested bombing the volcano...  
> **username_1**: @username_0 I didn't say you did  
> **username_1**: I said Trump Said it, as an example to not to bad thinking. Read More closely.  
> **username_0**: Apologies. The bomb reference just seemed a little out there.  
> **username_2**: Water was successfully used to cool and slow down a lava flow in Iceland in 1973, see this USGS report: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/0724/report.pdf  

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