A hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park damaged a boardwalk and sent particles into the air, Tuesday morning in the Biscuit Basin area northwest of Old Faithful, according to the scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
The explosion, which Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland said was a “small” one, happened around 10 a.m.
According to him, there had so far been no injuries reported in the explosion.
Videos posted online by people who witnessed the explosion showed several people on the boardwalk close to where the explosion occurred and the debris all over the place.
“Monitoring data show no changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity,” Poland said in a statement.
“Hydrothermal explosions like that of today are not a sign of impending volcanic eruptions, and they are not caused by magma rising towards the surface.”
He said these types of explosions happen when water quickly changes to steam underground and they are “relatively common” in Yellowstone National Park.
There was a similar explosion in Biscuit Bay in May 2009 and a smaller explosion in Norris Geyser Basin on April 15. Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin exploded in 1989.
Biscuit Basin’s parking lot and boardwalks are temporarily closed for safety; Yellowstone National Park geologists are investigating the explosion.
The public affairs office for Yellowstone National Park pointed the Daily Montanan to the news release from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and said no further information was immediately available early Tuesday afternoon.
