Yellowstone researchers discover cause of July's Biscuit Basin explosion

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

The USGS Volcanoes posted this bit of news regarding the Biscuit Basin explosion in Yellowstone on their social media recently:

Let’s get you caught up on what we’ve learned about the July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion in Biscuit Basin, in this #Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for October 2024.

On July 23, 2024, there was an explosion from Black Diamond Pool at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Since that time since, we’ve learned quite a lot about this event.

The explosion was not caused by the direct interaction of magma and water, with magma causing water to flash to steam. Rather, the explosion was caused by the accumulation of boiling water and steam at shallow levels. We know it was shallow because the rocks that came out during the explosion are glacial debris – sandstone and siltstone – that are sourced at very shallow levels. None of the rock is rhyolite from bedrock that’s about 175 feet beneath the surface.

The seismometers, cameras, and thermal probes that were put out after the explosion have detected surges of water from Black Diamond Pool. The surges haven’t been big, but they have moved rocks around and deposited silt on the shores of the pool. From citizen science reports and photographs prior to the explosion, we’ve learned that there may have been a precursory surge from the pool, probably on the night of July 16 or 17, based on how rocks moved around between those two time periods.

So, we’ve learned quite a bit about this previously underappreciated hazard (hydrothermal explosions) which are the most likely hazard to occur in the Yellowstone Region on human timescales.

During the month of September 2024, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, which monitors and operates the Yellowstone seismic network, located 54 earthquakes, which is consistent with background levels of activity. Deformation trends observed since 2015 continue with a seasonal pause in subsidence. While Steamboat Geyser did not have a water eruption in September, frequent minor activity suggests that an eruption is likely in the coming days to weeks.

Yellowstone Volcano remains at normal, background levels of activity.

Here’s a short video with more information:

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