YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming – A massive explosion rocked Yellowstone National Park’s Biscuit Basin on Tuesday, July 23. The explosion has sparked some conversation about the Yellowstone Super Volcano, but don’t be fooled. What happened underneath the Black Diamond Pool was not volcanic. Since it’s sometimes better to have someone explain these things, rather than trying to read to understand, here’s USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory‘s scientist-in-charge Mike Poland to explain.
“What just happened at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park? Kaboom! Visitors witnessed a towering plume of steam, rock and mud rise several hundred feet into the air. The brief July 23 event was a classic example of a hydrothermal explosion, not a volcanic eruption. And with all the hot water circulating in the subsurface of this active volcano, it’s no surprise that hydrothermal explosions are Yellowstone’s most common geologic hazard.“
Biscuit Basin will remain closed through the rest of the 2024 summer, though the Grand Loop Road and other thermal basins will remain open.