YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone National Park visitors witnessed a rare occurrence on Tuesday morning when a small hydrothermal explosion occurred in the Biscuit Basin thermal area of the park, roughly two miles northwest of Old Faithful.
The National Park Service has shared images of the incident’s aftermath, featuring the damage done to the boardwalk.
Luckily, no injuries were reported from the explosion.
The area was promptly closed to visitors so geologists could investigate. YNP’s Tuesday statement with the U.S. Geological Survey said, “Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity. Hydrothermal explosions like that of today are not a sign of impending volcanic eruptions, and they are not caused by magma rising towards the surface.”
The park also noted that similar events have occurred in this area of the park. In 2009, Biscuit Basin saw a similar explosion, and in April of this year, a similar event was recorded in the Norris Geyser Basin.
Expect more information on the Biscuit Basin area to be shared in the coming days.
