YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The site of last summer’s hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) remains closed to the public, but the scientists of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) have installed a new, temporary webcam to keep tabs on the hot pools.
According to this week’s Caldera Chronicles written by YVO and Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland, the webcam was installed on May 14, and captures static images of Biscuit Basin and the Black Diamond Pool every 15 minutes. The photos are publicly available on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website. Bandwidth at the location is not strong enough to support live streaming, but the camera is recording video onsite that can be downloaded by the USGS at any time.
“If the static images document the occurrence of an event (based on the appearance of new rocks or wet ground, for example), video can be downloaded for analysis,” Poland wrote in Caldera Chronicles. “If any such events are captured, we’ll be sure to post video clips to the YVO website.”
The webcam was temporarily installed on the damaged boardwalk surrounding Biscuit Basin, so the photo is slightly tilted due to the slope of the boardwalk. The camera is intended to remain in place through the summer, and could stay during the winter if deemed necessary.
On July 23, 2024, hydrothermal activity in Biscuit Basin caused an explosion that rose over 400 feet into the air and threw rock and debris that damaged the nearby boardwalk. There were no injuries reported. It’s a good reminder to Yellowstone visitors that the safest place is on the boardwalks and marked pedestrian paths.
Following the eruption, scientists from several institutions collaborated to install monitoring stations around the area, including trail cameras, seismometers, acoustic sensors and electromagnetic instruments. At least two small eruptions, approximately 20 to 30 feet in the air, have been witnessed since the July 23 explosion: on November 5, 2024, and January 3, 2025.
