On July 23, 2024, a hydrothermal explosion from water suddenly transitioning to steam underneath the Black Diamond Pool rocked Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Fortunately nobody was injured, but the boardwalk in the area was heavily damaged and large boulders were hurled into the sky. The area has been closed since the explosion originally occurred and it will remain such until park staff determine that it’s safe once again. So will that happen this summer? Probably not.
According to Mike Poland, the current Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), the park has to decide both whether or not the area is safe and whether or not to reroute the boardwalk. He and other YVO staff are working with the park coordinate better monitoring of the system.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to install more cameras and some infrasound sensors (essentially microphones that capture low-frequency acoustic energy) to track activity in Biscuit Basin, along with a permanent seismic station or two and maybe a GPS sensor. Hopefully that work will happen this summer.” – Mike Poland
While Poland isn’t directly involved in the decision about whether or not to reopen the area, he does note that the data collected from the instruments will likely contribute to the park’s assessment.
The explosion on July 23 did not reflect a change in the area’s volcanic system. Both the Black Diamond Pool and Black Opal Pool were impacted by the explosion, with the shape of the Black Diamond Pool having changed somewhat. However both pools remain distinct features.
Reopening of the area will only occur when the park has deemed it safe. That, in addition to a decision on where to rebuild the boardwalk, need to be completed before repair work is done, and for all of that to be completed before the end of the 2025 season seems very unlikely.
