Yellowstone National Park officials have announced the temporary closure of the Biscuit Basin area following a hydrothermal explosion that occurred on Tuesday morning. The incident, which took place near the Sapphire Pool around 10 a.m. local time, resulted in the closure of Biscuit Basin, its parking lot, and boardwalks for safety reasons.
According to the US Geological Survey, hydrothermal explosions are violent events that involve the rapid ejection of boiling water, steam, mud, and rock fragments. These explosions occur in areas where shallow interconnected reservoirs of fluids with temperatures near the boiling point underlie thermal fields. The sudden drop in pressure can cause these fluids to transition rapidly to steam, leading to significant expansion and the ejection of debris.
