Visitors to Yellowstone National Park in the United States witnessed an impressive hydrothermal explosion. Fortunately, no one was injured due to the natural phenomenon. It should also not give rise to fear of a catastrophic situation.
Images of an impressive eruption that occurred in Yellowstone National Park, the largest park in the United States, have gone viral on social media. The eruption, which occurred on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, released steam, water, and rocks, causing visitors nearby to flee in haste. No one was injured in the incident, according to the Associated Press.
The phenomenon occurred in Biscuit Basin, a natural basin known for its bluish colors. Videos of the eruption in this basin show visitors quietly walking on bridges installed to facilitate the walk when the eruption suddenly occurs.
Such eruptions are common in Yellowstone Park
Following this eruption, the Biscuit Basin area was closed to visitors for safety reasons. The eruption damaged the visitors’ promenade. Geologists at Yellowstone National Park are investigating the event, a statement from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said. Hydrothermal explosions occur when water suddenly turns to steam underground, and they are relatively common in Yellowstone. Biscuit Basin has already experienced a comparable eruption in May 2009.
The situation is therefore not as worrying as some publications relaying the videos sometimes suggest. Monitoring data does not show any change in the Yellowstone region. The volcanic system is still experiencing normal levels of activity, so the explosion is not indicative of that. There was no sign of magma rising to the surface in relation to the eruption on July 23.
No, Yellowstone is not going to erupt tomorrow and destroy everything
The scientific community also invites us not to panic in the face of the certainly impressive images of the natural phenomenon. Some accounts on social media took advantage of the virality of the event to scare people, claiming that a massive eruption of the Great Yellowstone Geyser could kill thousands of people and cause an apocalyptic volcanic winter. However, the eruption of July 23 does not at all suggest such a nightmare scenario.
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