Yellowstone National Park had a pretty big year in 2024. Following the month of October, the park was on track for its second busiest year in history, with visitations up 6% from 2023 and down 2% from 2021.
It was a pretty big year on the geologic side of Yellowstone National Park too. Some thermal pools got a bit warmer and some geysers erupted for the first time in years, the Steamboat Geyser saw yet another decrease in eruptions, and of course there was a certain large explosion that captured the attention of the nation. Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, took us back through the year too look at the top 5 geological stories in Yellowstone National Park from 2024.
Biscuit Basin was rocked by an explosion on Tuesday, July 23, at about 10:19 a.m., forcing the park to close a significant potion of the area including parking lots and boardwalks. No injuries were reported. This was not caused by volcanic activity, and seismicity, ground deformation, and gas and thermal emissions remained at normal background levels.
Instead, the explosion occurred when water suddenly transitioning to steam in the hydrothermal system beneath Black Diamond Pool. Grapefruit-sized rocks were rocketed high into the sky and the nearby boardwalk was destroyed.