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Flanker: If something was detected, could explosives or a nuclear weapon be used to open up the ground and relive the pressure without an eruption?
Hank: From a geophysical point of view, there is no way to relieve the pressure associated with a volcanic eruption. The pressures and temperatures are so large that anything we can do as humans would be insignificant to the natural geologic event.

Mammoth Local: What size earthquake could trigger any affects of volcanic activity?
Jake: There was a very large earthquake in 1959 near Yellowstone that was magnitude 7.5. It caused some changes to the plumbing of the geyser basins, but no volcanism. If the magma chamber has conditions where it is ready to erupt, then that sort of earthquake might conceivably cause an eruption, but clearly, very large earthquakes don't cause eruptions.
Hank: I'd like to clearly state that large earthquakes on their own do not cause eruptions. The volcano needs to be primed, just on the verge of erupting, to have an earthquake cause an eruption. Even then, there is some intense discussion of whether the volcanic eruption causes the earthquake, or the earthquake causes the volcanic eruption. So there's still some investigation by scientists, but all the advanced warnings, such as hundreds of earthquakes located with ground movement and increased gas emissions will all be present before a large earthquake might affect an eruption.

Geyser Guy: In the show, there's a model called VIRGIL (virtual geophysical imaging laboratory). What is the real state-of-the-art equipment or software for examining Yellowstone unrest?
Jake: Though we'd love to have a tool like VIRGIL, currently we are nowhere near having that capability. Software that models magma chambers is still quite crude. Unfortunately, there are too many things to keep track of, and we know very little about the actual conditions beneath the surface of the earth that we would try to model with a product like VIRGIL.
Hank: From a field standpoint, it is very difficult to maintain data sites, electronic field equipment, and communication capabilities in an area as remote as Yellowstone. I hope the technology improves to make the seismic and other electronic instrumentation at Yellowstone much more robust. In fact, in Yellowstone, there are only three areas where you can get cell phone coverage. We have a long way to go before we can even get the data to VIRGIL, much less have VIRGIL process the data.

John: If a Supervolcano were to erupt with full force anywhere on Earth, what would be the global implications?
Jake: Similar to what you saw on the movie tonight.

Teddy Pandabe: Is it possible that the shift of magma is like the movement of the oceans? Affected by the other 30 hotspots in the world?
Hank: That's a fascinating question. The magma in the earth is very, very thick. In fact, it's more like a warm plastic, so it moves very slowly, but it is affected by gravity and other forces. Current geologic thinking would not have one hot spot affecting another; however, the processes that control hot spots are not well understood.

Britt: I am a student studying geology right now and am highly interested in Yellowstone. What types of opportunities are there for students at the park or observatory?
Hank: The Park has an extremely limited geologic staff consisting of two geologists. However, we are attempting to use scholarships to attract students, and we do extensively use volunteers in the park. The main way in which we interface with geologic experts is through the USGS and universities. The best way to study the geology of Yellowstone is through working with a university of the UGS.
Jake: We are a small observatory and have very limited staffing, even for professionals. Some day we'd like to be able to run a volunteer program. But right now, we don't have a person to run one. So I encourage people to study geology and do projects on volcanoes, including Yellowstone, and get the skills so that you can work with us as professionals.
Hank: There is an immense opportunity and need for geologic study at Yellowstone. Many researchers from around the world work in Yellowstone in an attempt to understand the geologic processes here. I cannot describe a direct opportunity for someone who wants to study in Yellowstone, but the opportunities are there if a student of Yellowstone will look for them.