Introduction: Hydrothermal explosion

A hydrothermal vent in Yellowstone National Park damaged a hike
in the Biscuit area northwest of Old Faithful, blowing several stories into the air,
according to scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The explosion

The explosion, which lead scientist Michael Poland described as a “small” explosion,
occurred around 10 a.m. Tuesday about 3.4 miles northwest of Old Faithful,
possibly at Black Diamond in the Biscuit Basin.

Poland said the explosion occurred in the pool. .
Poland said in a news release early Tuesday afternoon that there
were no reports of injuries from the explosion.

Videos posted online by

Videos posted online by eyewitnesses showed several people
on a sidewalk near the crime scene, and videos of the aftermath showed
debris and damaged sidewalks throughout the area.

The Biscuit Basin parking lot and boardwalk are temporarily closed for
safety reasons. Geologists at Yellowstone National Park are studying
the explosion and say the data does not indicate unusual volcanic activity.

“Monitoring data shows no change in the Yellowstone area.
Today’s eruptions do not reflect activity in the volcanic system and activity
continues to normalize,” Poland said in a statement.

“Hydrothermal explosions like today are not a sign of an impending volcanic eruption,
nor are they caused by magma rising to the surface.”
He said this type of explosion occurs when water underground quickly

turns into steam and is “quite common” in Yellowstone National Park.
A similar eruption occurred in Biscuit Bay in May 2009 and a smaller
eruption in Norris Geyser Basin on April 15.

Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser

Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin erupted in 1989.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey,
hydrothermal vents often expel boiling water,
steam, mud and rock into the air that can reach heights of 1.2 miles (2.0 km).

The institute said in a 2018 report that large hydrothermal eruptions
occur on average every 700 years. According to the report,
at least 25 craters measuring at least
328 feet wide have been identified in the park.

“While large-scale hydrothermal eruptions are rare events on human time scales,
it is not unlikely that other similar events will occur in Yellowstone
National Park in the future,”

the report said. “Due to the occurrence
of large-scale hydrothermal eruption events over the past 16,000 years,
we would expect an eruption large enough to form a 100-meter (328-foot)

wide crater to occur every few hundred years.
According to the National Park Service, murky water erupted in Black
Diamond Pool after the July 2006 earthquake and “several explosive eruptions

occurred in the following days,
” but since then eruptions have become “less frequent.”
The average temperature is 148.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Yellowstone National Park Public Information Office referred the Daily
Montanan to a news release from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
and said no further

information was available as of early Tuesday afternoon.
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said it would
release more information as it becomes available.

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