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A relatively small but unexpected hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park near Old Faithful damaged boardwalks and sent tourists running on July 23. So far there have been no reported injuries.
Park officials temporarily closed the boardwalk and parking lot in Biscuit Basin near Old Faithful.
Michael Poland with the U.S. Geological Survey runs the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. He said this was not related to the deeper volcanic system underneath the park. Instead, it was a thermal explosion, where water just below the surface rapidly turned into steam.
“[The big one] would look a lot different. We’d be seeing major earthquake activity, ground deformation activity, a lot more in terms of changes to geysers and hot springs,” he said.
Poland says an explosion like this typically occurs once or twice a year in Yellowstone, often in the backcountry. This one appears to have originated near Black Diamond Pool, according to a press release from the park.
The last thermal explosion at Biscuit Basin was in May of 2009.
More information about hydrothermal explosions is available at Hydrothermal explosions in Yellowstone National Park | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov).
