Hungerford said that the receiver measures the time it takes for the pulse of light to bounce back and uses that information to reveal the topography beneath the ground cover.
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About 20 years ago, scientists discovered a new thermal area in Yellowstone. It was actually by accident – the area is off the beaten path in the eastern side of the park. But some infrared satellite imagery showed that the area had warm ground, which indicated things were changing. Twenty years later, scientists are still studying the Tern Lake thermal area to further understand it.
Some say more needs to be done to protect the world from Yellowstone (Image: GETTY)
Despite this, he’s still a fan of researchers looking into ways to minimise the risk posed by supervolcanos.
He said: “We have to do much more than what we are doing now to try and prevent a supervolcanic eruption.
“These volcanoes are going to do something one day – and this could be in 100 years, in 1,000 years, or even 10,000 years.
“We expect still to be on the Earth in 10,000 years and if we don’t do something to decrease the stress of this volcano, we won’t be able to survive on the surface of the Earth.