This morning, Tuesday, July 23, at around 10:19 a.m., a hydrothermal explosion took place near Sapphire Pool in Yellowstone National Park’s Biscuit Basin, the park said in a statement.
Due to this explosion, Biscuit Basin, its parking lot, and boardwalks are temporarily closed due to safety concerns. The Grand Loop Road is still open to traffic.
The park said that it did not receive any reports of injuries, while the extent of the damage remains unknown for the time being.
Staff from both Yellowstone National Park and USGS will monitor conditions around Biscuit Basin and, once all is deemed safe, the area will reopen to the public.
No other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity.
This is an evolving incident, and additional details will be shared as more facts are known.
Learn more about Yellowstone’s geology at Geology – Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service).
Where Is Biscuit Basin?
Biscuit Basin is a small geyser basin just north of Old Faithful. It can be reached via a hiking trail from Old Faithful or by car on the Grand Loop Road.
The basin is known for its (small) geysers and multiple colorful hot springs, such as Black Opal Pool, Black Diamond Pool, and Sapphire Pool, where this hydrothermal explosion occurred.
You can learn more about the beautiful hot springs of Yellowstone National Park here.
