YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — For more than 100 years, Biscuit Basin hydrothermals have been active, and in 2024 a large explosion destroyed a section of boardwalk adjacent to the pool. Since then the basin has been closed to visitors.
This week’s Caldera Chronicles was written by Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland. The weekly publication from the YVO announced that a new camera was installed on July 22 at Biscuit Basin to track activity over a larger swath of land.
Initially, a single camera was installed in May 2025, which helped with observations. Prior to that camera’s installation, the consistent smaller eruptions were hard to identify since there was no continuous monitoring in place.
While monitoring improved, Poland reported that the view was not broad enough to capture all of the activity in the area, which became evident when a steam plume obscured the view.
“As soon as [the new camera] was set up, the camera began recording a diversity of previously unknown activity,” Poland explains. “This included eruptions of hot water and mud that ranged in size from just a couple of feet (less than a meter) in height to about 30 feet (nine meters).”
The camera captures an image every 15 minutes, which includes an “expansive view of both Black Diamond Pool and the area of the June 13, 2026, [Biscuit Basin] explosion.”
