YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Hydrothermal activity in Yellowstone National Park’s (YNP) Biscuit Basin put on a destructive show for park visitors on Tuesday, July 23, according to a joint statement by YNP and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as well as videos circulating online. No injuries were reported and the explosion does not seem to indicate volcanic danger in the area.
According to the joint statement, a small hydrothermal explosion occurred around 10 a.m. in the Biscuit Basin thermal area of the park, roughly two miles northwest of Old Faithful.
“The boardwalk was damaged, but there were no reports of injury,” the YNP/USGS statement reads. “The explosion appears to have originated near Black Diamond Pool.”
As a result, Biscuit Basin along with its parking lot and boardwalks are temporarily closed to visitors. Geologists are investigating the incident.
“Hydrothermal explosions occur when water suddenly flashes to steam underground, and they are relatively common in Yellowstone,” the statement reads. “For example, Porkchop Geyser, in Norris Geyser Basin, experienced an explosion in 1989, and a small event in Norris Geyser Basin was recorded by monitoring equipment on April 15, 2024. An explosion similar to that of today also occurred in Biscuit Basin on May 17, 2009.”
More information about the explosion is expected to be shared in the coming days.
“Monitoring data show no changes in the Yellowstone region,” the join statement said. “Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within 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.”
GeyserTimes.Org, a citizen scientist hub dedicated to Yellowstone’s geyser activity, noted that Black Diamond erupted at 9:45 a.m. It had last erupted in May of this year, preceded by an eight-year gap in eruptions.
