Watch stunning footage of a massive hydrothermal explosion that closed part of Yellowstone

Dave Golder
·1 min read
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Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park temporarily closed due to hydrothermal explosion.
Credit: National Park Service

A massive hydrothermal explosion near Old Faithful yesterday (July 22) that shut down parts of Yellowstone was caught on camera by a visitor to the National Park – and it looks apocalyptic.

The footage shows tourists fleeing the boardwalk at Biscuit Basin with the huge plume of water erupting behind them.

Amazingly – and thankfully – nobody was hurt.

According to a press release from the National Park Service (NPS), the eruption took place at about 10:19am local time,  near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin, located just north of Old Faithful.

Biscuit Basin, including the parking lot and boardwalks, were temporarily closed for safety reasons. The Grand Loop Road remained open. The extent of the damage caused by the hydrothermal explosion was unclear at the time the press release was issued, but the person who posted the video to Facebook, Vlada March, says, “boardwalk completely destroyed,” and that, “This has never happened in the history of the park.”

Given that there's been a volcanic system here for about two million years, we can't substantiate that claim - we're just glad no one was injured.

The precise trigger for the eruption is a mystery so far. “No other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region,” says the NPS. “Today’s explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity. This is an evolving incident, and additional details will be shared as more facts are known.”

Park staff and staff from USGS (US Geological Survey) are monitoring conditions to decide when it’s safe to reopen the area.