Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone Sends Park Visitors Running for Their Lives, Area Now Closed
Yellowstone National Park’s geologically active Biscuit Basin is now closed after a hydrothermal explosion sent sightseers running.
The event and its aftermath were caught on camera.
The blast happened Tuesday morning near the basin’s scenic Sapphire Pool. According to the National Park Service, the pool is just north of the world’s most famous geyser — Old Faithful — in northwest Wyoming.
The agency’s news release said no injuries were reported, but the extent of damage done by the explosion is still being realized.
“Biscuit Basin, including the parking lot and boardwalks, are temporarily closed for safety reasons,” the park service said.
“No other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity.”
Video of the explosion went viral Tuesday as it spread across social media platforms.
In one video of the incident, park guests can be seen fleeing from a walkway as a massive plume of steam, mud and rocks grows behind them.
“S***! Run run run! Run! Run!” a woman yelled.
WARNING: The following videos contain vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
#yellowstone #biscuitbasin Yellowstone National Park pic.twitter.com/RNHYkwibxR
— Nomis (@NomisRensiew) July 23, 2024
The blast left the Sapphire Pool area covered in mud and stones.
Video taken after the explosion showed visitors retreating back over a wooden walkway marred by broken planks and other obvious damage.
Wow. Crazy aftermath of the HUGE explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone. Boardwalk viewing of the geyser wrecked! pic.twitter.com/6Q4ufLK6YX
— Justin Hart (@justin_hart) July 23, 2024
Pictures uploaded to Yellowstone National Park’s X account showed rangers and other employees surveying the damage near Sapphire Pool.
Rocks, many fist-sized or larger, littered the boardwalk.
(Heads Up!) Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park temporarily closed due to hydrothermal explosion. More info: https://t.co/tcDR8oRNSx pic.twitter.com/YP7CkwNrQR
— Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) July 23, 2024
Although the park service said the explosion at Sapphire Pool did not indicate growing seismic or volcanic activity, this is the second major explosion discovered this year.
In May, geologists working at Yellowstone’s Norris Geyser Basin discovered a blast crater surrounded by disrupted ground. Satellite photography helped the researchers date the blast to April 15.
“The recent Norris explosion occurred only about 160 feet (50 meters) from a boardwalk,” the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory wrote after announcing the discovery Monday.
“Fortunately,” it said, “the explosion was too small to have ejected debris to that distance, and it occurred during a time period when much of Yellowstone National Park was closed to visitors as winter operations transitioned to summer.
“The event nevertheless emphasizes importance of following park guidelines and staying on boardwalks and designated trails in thermal areas, and also highlights the hazardous nature of even small steam explosions — a hazard that will be increasingly targeted for monitoring and, with advances in our understanding, forecasting by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory in the years to come.”
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