Current:Home > StocksSurprise blast of rock, water and steam sends dozens running for safety in Yellowstone-VaTradeCoin
Surprise blast of rock, water and steam sends dozens running for safety in Yellowstone
View Date:2025-01-08 16:08:58
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! (8593)
Related
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- Railroad Commission Approves Toxic Waste Ponds Next to Baptist Camp
- You Can't Miss Emma Stone's Ecstatic Reaction After Losing to Lily Gladstone at the 2024 SAG Awards
- Search for Elijah Vue, 3, broadens in Wisconsin following his mother's arrest
- Charles Hanover: Caution, Bitcoin May Be Entering a Downward Trend!
- The 11 most fascinating 2024 NFL draft prospects: Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy drive intrigue
- The NFL should be ashamed of itself that Eric Bieniemy has to coach in college
- Robert Downey Jr.'s Shoutout to Wife Susan at the 2024 SAG Awards Proves She's the Real Avenger
- Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
- What's the best place to see the April 2024 solar eclipse? One state is the easy answer.
Ranking
- Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion
- What are sound baths and why do some people swear by them?
- This Modern Family Reunion at the 2024 SAG Awards Will Fill Your Heart
- Everything you need to know about solar eclipse glasses, including where to get them
- Groups seek a new hearing on a Mississippi mail-in ballot lawsuit
- Alabama’s IVF ruling is spotlighting the anti-abortion movement’s long game
- Who can vote in the South Carolina Republican primary election for 2024?
- Alexey Navalny's body has been handed over to his mother, aide says
Recommendation
-
'Wheel of Fortune' contestant makes viral mistake: 'Treat yourself a round of sausage'
-
NASCAR Atlanta race Feb. 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Ambetter Health 400
-
Trump's civil fraud judgment is officially over $450 million, and climbing over $100,000 per day
-
Revenge's Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman Expecting Baby No. 2
-
'Gladiator 2' review: Yes, we are entertained again by outrageous sequel
-
See which stars went barefoot, Ayo Edebiri's Beyoncé moment and more SAG fashion wows
-
AP VoteCast: Takeaways from the early Republican primary elections
-
‘Burn Book’ torches tech titans in veteran reporter’s tale of love and loathing in Silicon Valley