A slide of the devastation appears.
‘Volcanic eruptions are not unusual. Even fifty years ago, scientists were able to predict Mount St. Helens eruption in plenty of time to warn the population.’ She pauses to make eye contact with the committee. ‘Now imagine a volcano whose eruption is not predictable, packing ten thousand times the force of Mount St. Helens. Imagine a blast spewing enough ash to cover half the United States in a few frightening minutes. In short, imagine an explosion comparable to an asteroid strike, one that could plunge Earth into millions of years of unending winter.’
The image changes, the committee now looking at a satellite view of a crater, its surface boiling azure greens and blues.
‘The nightmare I’ve just described is called a super volcano. Unlike a volcano, it possesses no cone. Essentially, it exists as a massive subterranean magma pocket, or caldera. A caldera is a depression, formed by the collapse of the ground following a volcanic explosion of a large body of stored magma. What you’re looking at is a thermal photograph of Yellowstone National Park’s youngest of three calderas. This monster lurks five miles below the surface. It is 112 miles across and 48 miles wide, encompassing nearly the entire park.’
Lauren glances up, pleased to see shocked expressions on four of the committee members. They should be shocked, we’re only talking the end of civilization…
Lauren changes the photo to an overhead shot of an island situated in a large crater lake.
‘Modern man has never witnessed the eruption of a super volcano, but we know of their devastation. This is Lake Toba, located in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The lake was formed by a super volcano that erupted 74,000 years ago. Keep in mind Lake Toba’s caldera is smaller in comparison to Yellowstone’s magma pocket, but evidence from its last explosion should give you an idea of the kind of devastation we’re talking about.’
The lake shot is replaced by a slide of microscopic organisms.
‘To understand how the history of Lake Toba affected humanity, we turn to Homo sapiens DNA. While most of our species’ DNA is stored in the nuclei of our cells, a small portion can also be found in the mitochondria-the rod-shaped cells responsible for energy production. What’s unique about the mitochondria is that its DNA is passed only from mother to child. This feature allows geneticists to trace the natural lineage and diversity of our population by focusing on mutations present in our genome. By analyzing the rate and distributions of these mutations, scientists are able to detect patterns in the history of humanity’s population growth.
‘With 7 billion people on the planet, scientists expected to find a wide range of genetic diversity. Instead, what they found was something totally unexpected-a bottleneck, or sudden drop in population.’
The African-American Chair of the Physics Department raises a hand. ‘You’re referring to a major catastrophe?’
‘Yes, sir. Something in the history of Homo sapiens decimated our entire species, reducing the number of human beings left on our entire planet to, incredible as it seems, a mere few thousand. The simple and frightening fact is, the DNA of every man, woman, and child living today can be traced back to these few thousand survivors. Now, because mutations in human DNA take place with clock-like regularity, scientists were able to approximate a date when this sudden change occurred.’ She pauses for effect. ‘The bottleneck occurred 74,000 years ago, right after the explosion that formed Lake Toba.’
The representative of English Literature looks pale. ‘Are you saying this… this super volcano wiped out nearly every human being on the planet?’
‘Yes, ma’am. And keep in mind, Lake Toba’s caldera was nowhere near as large as Yellowstone’s monster.’
‘Is Yellowstone dormant? Has it ever erupted before?’
Lauren clicks over to the next image-a fossil embedded in soil and ash.
‘The geological record shows that Yellowstone’s hot spot has been responsible for three major eruptions. The first happened 2.1 million years ago, the second 1.3 million years ago, the most recent 630,000 years ago. Scientists agree that this periodicity of eruptions is likely to continue, meaning the next explosion could occur 100,000 years from now… or, as some geologists fear’-she ignores Professor Laubin’s roll of the eyes-‘very soon.’
The photo disappears, replaced by a synthesized depiction of an underground cross section of Yellowstone’s terrain. Situated above ground along the north section, directly beneath the pocket of magma-is a mammoth, hill-sized bulge.
‘This bulge has been rising above Yellowstone’s caldera since the first geological survey of the park was taken in the late 1920s. Scientists first became alarmed about thirty years ago when the bulge actually began lifting the northern end of Yellowstone Lake, causing its waters to spill into the forest located along its southern shoreline. As you can see, the forest is now completely flooded.
‘This telltale bulge indicates that pressure is increasing within the magma pocket. At some point it’s going to explode. When it happens, the devastation will be felt across the entire planet. Since words don’t begin to tell the story, I thought you might be interested in a little animation.’
The computer image changes to a satellite view of the United States. A dark cloud suddenly belches over Wyoming.
‘When Yellowstone’s caldera erupts, the pyroclastic blast will instantly kill tens of thousands of people living in the area. The resultant ash cloud that rises into the stratosphere will cover most of the United States, primarily affecting the Great Plains-America’s breadbasket. Harvests will be obliterated overnight. The ash plume will eventually span the entire globe, blotting out the sun’s rays, leading to a super volcanic winter.’
Professor Laubin glances at the digital display on the dais. ‘Ninety seconds, Ms. Beckmeyer. I suggest you use what remains of your allotted time to explain GOPHER.’
‘Yes, sir.’ A final image appears-a schematic of what appears to be a UAV robot.
‘One way to potentially cool the magma flow and stave off a major eruption is to flood the caldera just prior to its blast with the waters of Yellowstone Lake. My father, Mark Beckmeyer, is an engineer at Broward Robotics. The two of us designed GOPHER, an acronym for Geothermal Observatory for Pyrolysis and Heat Exchange Release. Pyrolysis is a chemical change caused by the action of heat. Using GOPHER, we intend to create a series of canals running from Yellowstone Lake to key sections of the Yellowstone caldera, creating an early-warning ventilation system. I’ve already met with park officials, who agree the system could significantly reduce magma temperatures, potentially preventing or lessening the effects of a major eruption.’
The history professor is making rapid calculations on his pocket computer. ‘Seven hundred thousand dollars is a sizable grant, Ms Beckmeyer.’
‘Yes, sir, but a small price to pay to save civilization. And the university would share all proprietary rights.’
‘Time’s up,’ Professor Laubin announces.
The Asian professor looks anxious. ‘Ms. Beckmeyer, perhaps you could wait outside, please.’
Lauren grabs her belongings and exits the chamber. She finds an empty bench in the corridor. Seven hundred thousand dollars… they spend that much on resurfacing their damn faculty parking lots. Maybe I can convince Sam to turn pro. His bonus check alone could buy a hundred GOPHERs…
Professor Laubin joins her in the corridor. ‘Ms. Beckmeyer, did you really think those scare tactics would work?’