Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin closed after hydrothermal explosion

A hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone has forced the closure of a portion of the national park because of safety concerns.

Officials at Yellowstone National Park said a “localized hydrothermal explosion” happened near Sapphire Pool in the Biscuit Basin. The area is to the north of Old Faithful Geyser.

Guests recorded video of the explosion that sent columns of dirt, rock and water and showed people running from the blast and then being told to move quickly and leave the area.

“Hydrothermal explosions are violent and dramatic events resulting in the rapid ejection of boiling water, steam, mud, and rock fragments,” the U.S Geological Survey said, according to CNN.

The explosions “occur where shallow interconnected reservoirs of fluids with temperatures at or near the boiling point underlie thermal fields. These fluids can rapidly transition to steam if the pressure suddenly drops. Since vapor molecules take up much more space than liquid molecules, the transition to steam results in significant expansion and blows apart surrounding rocks and ejects debris,” the USGS said.

“This is quite a bit different than Old Faithful,” Michael Poland who is in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, The New York Times reported.

Poland said that the water under the park suddenly turned to steam. Typically it can happen because of an event like an earthquake.

“That’s not the case here,” Poland told the Times. “Instead, what we had was a very localized change in this plumbing system. Pressure can build and you can get an explosion like this.”

The officials said the explosion did not indicate a change in the volcanic system. They added that the park is having normal activity.

They are common, Poland said but happen typically in the backcountry where only monitoring equipment will document it.

This time, however, the blast was captured by visitors on cellphones with Poland calling the explosion “really quite dramatic.”

Water in the park’s hot springs can reach temperatures higher than 150 degrees Fahrenheit, but no one has been killed in an explosion like this, Poland told the newspaper.

No one was hurt in this explosion but the extent of the damage around the area was not known, but the basin, including parking and boardwalks, was closed. The Grand Loop Road is still open.

The basin will reopen once staff from the park and the USGS can determine when it is safe to do so.

© 2024 Cox Media Group