Current:Home > MySurprise blast of rock, water and steam sends dozens running for safety in Yellowstone -DollarDynamic
Surprise blast of rock, water and steam sends dozens running for safety in Yellowstone
View
Date:2025-04-16 04:53:51
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A surprise eruption that shot steam, water and dark-colored rock and dirt dozens of feet into the sky Tuesday sent people running for safety in Yellowstone National Park.
The hydrothermal explosion happened around 10 a.m. in Biscuit Basin, a collection of hot springs a couple miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the famous Old Faithful Geyser.
Video posted online showed a couple dozen people watching from a boardwalk as the eruption sprayed and grew in front of them. As water and debris began to fall, they ran to keep clear, some yelling “Back up!” and “Holy cow!” People then turned to watch the spectacle under a huge cloud of steam.
The eruption damaged the boardwalk, an elevated wooden walkway that keeps people off Yellowstone’s fragile and often dangerous geothermal areas. Photos and video of the aftermath showed damaged guardrails and boards covered in rock and silt near muddy pools.
No injuries were reported, but the Biscuit Basin area was closed for visitor safety, according to a U.S. Geological Survey statement.
A hydrothermal explosion happens when water suddenly flashes to steam underground. Such blasts are relatively common in Yellowstone.
Similar blasts have happened in Biscuit Basin in 2009, 1991 and after the magnitude 7.2 Hebgen Lake earthquake 40 miles (64 kilometers) away in 1959.
Dramatic as it was, the latest was on the small side, according to the statement.
Scientists theorize that a series of hydrothermal explosions created Mary Bay on the northeastern side of Yellowstone Lake some 13,800 years ago. At 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) wide, Mary Bay is the world’s largest known hydrothermal explosion crater.
Yellowstone is centered on a huge, dormant volcano. The hydrothermal explosion did not indicate new activity within the volcanic system, which remains at normal levels, according to the Geological Survey.
___
Hanson reported from Helena, Montana.
veryGood! (122)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- RHOSLC's Monica Garcia Claps Back at Lisa Barlow's $60,000 Ring Dig
- U.S. Coast Guard spots critically endangered whales off Louisiana
- Mexican mother bravely shields son as bear leaps on picnic table, devours tacos, enchiladas
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- A Dominican immigration agent is accused of raping a Haitian woman who was detained at an airport
- The New Season: Art from hip hop to Picasso
- University of Wisconsin regents select Mankato official to serve as new Parkside chancellor
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Martin Scorsese decries film franchises as 'manufactured content,' says it 'isn't really cinema'
Ranking
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Ohio high school football coach resigns after team used racist, antisemitic language during a game
- Deion Sanders Q&A covers sacks, luxury cars, future career plans: 'Just let me ride, man'
- Get (on) my swamp! You can book Shrek's home on Airbnb this fall
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Taylor Swift gives big boost to TV ratings for Chiefs-Bears, especially among young women
- European court rules Turkish teacher’s rights were violated by conviction based on phone app use
- NFL power rankings Week 4: Cowboys tumble out of top five, Dolphins surge
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
Got an old car? Afraid to buy a new car? Here's how to keep your beater on the road.
Louisiana’s struggle with influx of salt water prompts a request for Biden to declare an emergency
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
Cuba denounces attack on its U.S. embassy as terrorism
Costco now offering virtual medical care for $29
Major Pfizer plant in North Carolina restarts production 10 weeks after tornado damage