The head scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said that on Tuesday morning, a hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park destroyed a boardwalk and hurled debris several stories into the air in the Biscuit Basin region northwest of Old Faithful.
Tuesday at about 10 a.m., approximately 2.1 miles northwest of Old Faithful, an explosion that Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland described as “small” most likely occurred in the Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin.
There have been no confirmed injuries from the incident as of yet, Poland announced in an informational statement early on Tuesday afternoon.
footage of the aftermath show debris all over the place and a damaged boardwalk, while footage of the explosion itself show many individuals on the boardwalk near the site. The films were uploaded online by those who observed it.
Yellowstone National Park scientists are looking into the explosion, but data indicates no unusual volcanic activity, therefore the parking lot and boardwalks in Biscuit Basin are temporarily closed for safety.
There are no changes in the Yellowstone area, according to monitoring data. The volcanic system is still experiencing background levels of activity, therefore today’s explosion is not indicative of any activity there, Poland said in a statement. “Ceramic magma rising towards the surface is not the cause of today’s pyroclastic explosions, nor is it a sign of imminent volcanic eruptions.”
He said that these explosions are “fairly common” in Yellowstone National Park and are caused by the rapid conversion of water to steam underneath.
A lesser explosion occurred on April 15 at Norris Geyser Basin, and a similar explosion occurred in Biscuit Bay in May of 2009. The 1989 explosion of Porkchop Geyser occurred in the Norris Geyser Basin.
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Based on U.S. Geological Survey data, hydrothermal explosions may shoot mud, rock, boiling water, and steam up to 1.2 miles into the air. A 2018 analysis said that there are huge hydrothermal explosions about every 700 years on average. In the park, at least 25 craters with a minimum width of 328 feet have been found, the paper details.
As to the paper, “there is a possibility of more such events in the future in Yellowstone National Park, even though large hydrothermal explosions are uncommon on a human time scale.” “An explosion big enough to make a crater 100 meters (328 feet) wide might be expected every few hundred years, based on the occurrence of large hydrothermal explosion events over the past 16,000 years.”
dark Diamond Pool had “several explosive eruptions” in the days that followed the July 2006 earthquake, but eruptions have been “infrequent” subsequently. The National Park Service reports that the pool exploded with dark, murky water. At 148.5 degrees Fahrenheit, it is often warm.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, no more information was immediately available, according to the Yellowstone National Park public relations office, which directed the Daily Montanan to the press release from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
As additional data became available, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory promised to make it public.