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Circular pool of boiling water in a barren area strewn with rocks with a forested ridge in the distance under blue sky.
Pool of boiling water that formed via collapse a few days after the June 13, 2026, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Pool of boiling water that formed via collapse a few days after the June 13, 2026, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Pool of boiling water that formed via collapse a few days after the June 13, 2026, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Pool of boiling water that formed a few days after the June 13, 2026, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, and that is located near the middle vent group of features that formed during the explosion.  The pool is about 6.5 × 5.3 meters (21 × 17 feet) in size and formed via collapse based on the lack of surrounding ejecta.

Aerial view with a muddy pool at the bottom and barren ground in the middle with blue polygons showing new vent locations
Locations of new features associated with June 13, 2026, small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Locations of new features associated with June 13, 2026, small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Locations of new features associated with June 13, 2026, small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Aerial view of the Black Diamond Pool area of Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, showing the locations of northern, middle, and southern vent groups that formed as a result of a small hydrothermal explosion on June 13, 2026.  The "new pool' developed later, between June 14 and 16.

Barren, steaming ground with a water-filled crack trending away from the photographer
Northern-most water-filled fracture that formed on June 13, 2026, near Black Diamond Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Northern-most water-filled fracture that formed on June 13, 2026, near Black Diamond Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Northern-most water-filled fracture that formed on June 13, 2026, near Black Diamond Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Looking south, toward Black Diamond Pool (steaming blue area in the left middle ground) along a fissure that formed during a small hydrothermal explosion on June 13, 2026, in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  The fissure is about 18.5 meters (61 feet) long and filled with near-boiling water.

River with milky blue-green color mixing with normal dark blue, and some trees along the grassy banks under partly cloudy sky
Firehole River from Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026
Firehole River from Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026
Firehole River from Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026

Looking downstream along the Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park, from the Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026.  The milky colors are due to suspended sediment that flowed into the river as a result of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, which is located a straight-line distance of about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) upstream.

Looking downstream along the Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park, from the Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026.  The milky colors are due to suspended sediment that flowed into the river as a result of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, which is located a straight-line distance of about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) upstream.

steaming blue pool in low-light dawn conditions with an explosive steam plume in the background
Screen capture showing onset of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026
Screen capture showing onset of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026
Screen capture showing onset of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026

Screen capture showing the view from the Biscuit Basin research and monitoring camera at 05:09:54 a.m. MDT on June 13, 2026.  Black Diamond Pool is in the foreground, and a steam plume in the upper right marks the occurrence of a small hydrothermal explosion behind (to the north of) the pool.

Aerial view of colorful Grand Prismatic Spring with a soccer field overlain and covering the spring's area almost exactly
Soccer field overlain on Grand Prismatic Spring
Soccer field overlain on Grand Prismatic Spring
Soccer field overlain on Grand Prismatic Spring

Soccer field overlain on Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park (background image from Google Earth).

Videos

blue pool in a barren area with a treed ridge in the background under blue sky and a small steam vent in the middle ground blue pool in a barren area with a treed ridge in the background under blue sky and a small steam vent in the middle ground
Water spouting on June 18, 2026, from a new thermal pool that formed shortly after a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026
Water spouting on June 18, 2026, from a new thermal pool that formed shortly after a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026

This video is from the Biscuit Basin camera, which is located on the boardwalk adjacent to Black Diamond Pool (the blue-water feature in the foreground) and looking to the north.  Black Diamond Pool was the site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024, and the pool has erupted numerous times since that event.

steaming blue pool in low-light dawn conditions with an explosive steam plume in the background steaming blue pool in low-light dawn conditions with an explosive steam plume in the background
Video of small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin on June 13, 2026
Video of small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin on June 13, 2026

Video from a research and monitoring camera located at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, recorded between 05:09:45 and 05:10:15 a.m. MDT on June 13, 2026.  Black Diamond Pool, site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024, is steaming in the foreground.  At about 05:09:50 a.m.

Video from a research and monitoring camera located at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, recorded between 05:09:45 and 05:10:15 a.m. MDT on June 13, 2026.  Black Diamond Pool, site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024, is steaming in the foreground.  At about 05:09:50 a.m.

Smiling man in blue shirt pointing at rainbow-colored hot spring with text "Top Visitor Questions" Smiling man in blue shirt pointing at rainbow-colored hot spring with text "Top Visitor Questions"
Top visitor questions about Yellowstone's thermal areas (Yellowstone Monthly Update - June 2026)
Top visitor questions about Yellowstone's thermal areas (Yellowstone Monthly Update - June 2026)

Summer is here, and millions of people will be visiting Yellowstone National Park. People with questions. What is this scat I’m seeing? How does a geyser erupt? What makes Yellowstone so special?

Where’s the bathroom?

Main pointing to a barren mountainside with steam vents Main pointing to a barren mountainside with steam vents
Roaring Mountain (Yellowstone Monthly Update - May 2026)
Roaring Mountain (Yellowstone Monthly Update - May 2026)

Did you hear that???  Well, Roaring Mountain isn’t quite as loud as it used to be, but it’s still one of the hottest thermal areas in all of Yellowstone National Park!

Man gesturing in front of a barren landscape with title "The New Norris Hot Spring" Man gesturing in front of a barren landscape with title "The New Norris Hot Spring"
The New Norris Hot Spring (Yellowstone Monthly Update - March 2026)
The New Norris Hot Spring (Yellowstone Monthly Update - March 2026)

KABOOM! That’s what Yellowstone is famous for – huge explosive volcanic eruptions. There’s really nothing brewing right now, the magma chamber is mostly solid, but there have been quite a few hydrothermal eruptions and small explosions in both Biscuit Basin and Norris Geyser Basin as water in the hydrothermal system flashes to steam.

KABOOM! That’s what Yellowstone is famous for – huge explosive volcanic eruptions. There’s really nothing brewing right now, the magma chamber is mostly solid, but there have been quite a few hydrothermal eruptions and small explosions in both Biscuit Basin and Norris Geyser Basin as water in the hydrothermal system flashes to steam.

Thumbnail image of a man speaking in front of a photo of a colorful hot spring Thumbnail image of a man speaking in front of a photo of a colorful hot spring
Top 5 Yellowstone geological stories of 2025 (Yellowstone monthly update - January 2026)
Top 5 Yellowstone geological stories of 2025 (Yellowstone monthly update - January 2026)

Happy New Year! Let's go back and take a look at the top five geologic stories for Yellowstone in 2025.

Number five: Rumors. It was a year of internet rumors, mostly related to animals fleeing the park, and none of which were true.

Webcams

Looking at hot spring with high cliffs in the background
Biscuit Basin webcam
Biscuit Basin webcam
Biscuit Basin webcam

The camera view is north-northwest from the Biscuit Basin boardwalk looking at Black Diamond Pool, which is in the foreground (the tilted viewing angle is due to the slope of the boardwalk).

The camera view is north-northwest from the Biscuit Basin boardwalk looking at Black Diamond Pool, which is in the foreground (the tilted viewing angle is due to the slope of the boardwalk).

Image of Mount St. Helens looking south from north of the volcano
Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mount St. Helens
Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mount St. Helens
Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mount St. Helens

This static image is from a USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory research camera located at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, north of Mount St. Helens.  The view is to the south.  This camera is intended to assist the USGS with situational awareness. At times, clouds, rain, and snow obscure visibility.

This static image is from a USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory research camera located at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, north of Mount St. Helens.  The view is to the south.  This camera is intended to assist the USGS with situational awareness. At times, clouds, rain, and snow obscure visibility.

Webcam image view of volcano flank
[HLcam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's northwest flank from Hualālai volcano
[HLcam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's northwest flank from Hualālai volcano
[HLcam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's northwest flank from Hualālai volcano

Live view of the northwest flank of Mauna Loa; the view is from the southeast flank of Hualālai [HLcam]. This camera is a pan-tilt-zoom model and the view may change depending on activity.

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