Hydrothermal Explosion in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin (July 23, 2024)

What just happened at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park? Kaboom! Visitors witnessed a towering plume of steam, rock and mud rise several hundred feet into the air. The brief July 23 event was a classic example of a hydrothermal explosion, not a volcanic eruption. And with all the hot water circulating in the subsurface of this active volcano, it’s no surprise that hydrothermal explosions are Yellowstone’s most common geologic hazard.

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, talks about this previously underappreciated hazard and how it recently gained a little more respect

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