The scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory stated that a hydrothermal explosion damaged a boardwalk and ejected debris several stories into the air in the Biscuit Basin area northwest of Old Faithful on Tuesday morning.
The blast, characterized as “minor” by the scientist Michael Poland, occurred at approximately 10 a.m. He mentioned that on 23rd July 2024, the location was approximately 2.1 miles northwest of Old Faithful, probably at the Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin.
Poland reported in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that there have been no injuries mentioned in the explosion.
Videos shared online by bystanders captured several individuals on the boardwalk near the site of the explosion, with additional videos revealing the aftermath of the incident including scattered debris and a damaged boardwalk.
Data monitoring has not shown any alterations in the Yellowstone area. Poland stated that the explosion today does not indicate any increased activity in the volcanic system, which is currently operating at typical background levels of activity. The present hydrothermal explosions are not indicative of imminent volcanic eruptions and are not a result of magma moving upwards to the surface.
These kinds of explosions occur when water rapidly transforms into steam below the surface and are considered “fairly frequent” in Yellowstone National Park, he explained.
In May 2009, there was an explosion in Biscuit Bay similar to the smaller one in Norris Geyser Basin on April 15. The eruption of Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin occurred in 1989.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, hydrothermal explosions frequently eject boiling water, steam, mud, and rock into the atmosphere, reaching heights of up to 1.2 miles. A 2018 report stated that there is an average of one large hydrothermal explosion every 700 years. The report indicates that there are a minimum of 25 craters in the park with a width of at least 328 feet.
The report states that even though large hydrothermal explosions are infrequent in terms of human time, the possibility of more such events occurring in Yellowstone National Park in the future is not insignificant. Given the history of significant hydrothermal explosion incidents in the last 16,000 years, a blast capable of forming a 100-meter-wide crater could happen roughly every few hundred years.
The National Park Service reported that Black Diamond Pool released dark, murky water after a July 2006 earthquake and experienced multiple explosive eruptions in the following days, but has not erupted frequently since. The mean temperature is 148.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
The public relations office of Yellowstone National Park directed the Daily Montanan to the press release from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and mentioned that no additional details were currently accessible on Tuesday afternoon.
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory stated that they will provide additional information as it becomes accessible.