The July 23, 2024 Hydrothermal Blast at Yellowstone National Park

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has issued a report on the hydrothermal blast in the Biscuit Basin area of the Park on July 23. I have copied their news release in its entirety here. It was NOT a volcanic eruption, but rather water turning to steam at shallow depths.

Damaged boardwalk near the steam blast (Creative Commons courtesy of Yellowstone NP)

YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
U.S. Geological Survey
Wednesday, July 24, 2024, 3:43 PM MDT (Wednesday, July 24, 2024, 21:43 UTC)

YELLOWSTONE (VNUM #325010)
44°25'48" N 110°40'12" W, Summit Elevation 9203 ft (2805 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

This is an update on the hydrothermal explosion that occurred just before 10 AM on Tuesday, July 23, in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park.

National Park Service (NPS) field crews have completed a preliminary assessment of the conditions following the hydrothermal explosion at Black Diamond Pool. For a map showing the locations of the features in that area, see https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/map-major-features-biscuit-basin-yellowstone-national-park. 

What happened?

The July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin resulted from water suddenly transitioning to steam in the shallow hydrothermal system beneath Black Diamond Pool and was not caused by volcanic activity. Seismicity, ground deformation, and gas and thermal emissions remain at their normal background levels, and there were no detectable precursors to this event. 

The explosion, which sent steam and debris to a height of hundreds of feet above the ground, destroyed a nearby boardwalk and ejected grapefruit-sized rocks tens to hundreds of feet from the source. Some blocks closest to the explosion site are about 3 feet (1 meter) wide and weigh hundreds of pounds. The explosion was largely directed to the northeast toward the Firehole River, and the largest blocks of debris fell in that direction. The dark color of the explosion was a result of mud and debris mixed with steam and boiling water. Although visitors were present at the time of the event, no injuries were reported.

Black Diamond Pool and Black Opal Pool were affected by Tuesday’s explosion, and while they remain distinct features, the shape of Black Diamond has changed somewhat. Both pools are murky due to debris, and the unstable ground around their edges occasionally slides into the water. Just after the eruption, Black Diamond Pool exhibited minor roiling and water spouting. The water level in the pool rose over the course of the day, and by Tuesday afternoon the roiling transitioned to occasional bursts of hot water that reached about 8 feet (2.4 meters) in height.

What is happening now?

By Wednesday morning, July 24, the levels of Black Diamond Pool and Black Opal Pool had risen enough that both were overflowing and sending murky water into the Firehole River. No water bursts from Black Diamond Pool were witnessed Wednesday morning. 

What are ongoing hazards?

Given the recent changes to the hydrothermal plumbing system, small explosions of boiling water from this area in Biscuit Basin continue to be possible over the coming days to months. USGS and NPS geologists will be monitoring conditions, mapping the debris field, and sampling water to assess any changes in the shallow hydrothermal system over the next several days.

Hydrothermal explosions typically occur in the park one to a few times per year, but often in the back country where they may not be immediately detected.

Similar, although smaller, hydrothermal explosions took place in 1989 at Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin, and on April 15, 2024, from the Porcelain Terrace Area of Norris Geyser Basin. A small hydrothermal explosion occurred from Wall Pool, in Biscuit Basin, in 2009. Significant hydrothermal explosions, probably similar in size to that of July 23, 2024, occurred in the 1880s at Excelsior Geyser, in Midway Geyser Basin.

Yellowstone National Park has closed Biscuit Basin for the remainder of the 2024 season for visitor safety. Grand Loop Road remains open to vehicles, and other nearby thermal basins, like Black Sand Basin, are open. Additional Yellowstone National Park information about visitor access can be found at https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm. 

More information

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monitoring website: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone

2022-2032 YVO Monitoring Plan: https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/sir20225032

Preliminary Assessment of Volcanic and Hydrothermal Hazards in Yellowstone National Park and Vicinity: https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20071071

Yellowstone National Park images from Biscuit Basin explosion site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowstonenps/albums/72177720319112324/

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) provides long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.

YVO Member agencies: USGS, Yellowstone National Park, University of Utah, University of Wyoming, Montana State University, EarthScope, Wyoming State Geological Survey, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Idaho Geological Survey 

Journey to Scotland with Smithsonian Journeys

Recently, I was fortunate to represent the Smithsonian Institution's travel program, Smithsonian Journeys, as a geologic lecturer for 145 guests. We sailed from Glasgow Scotland to Bergen Norway, stopping at six delightful and very scenic destinations. What an honor it is to represent the Smithsonian in this way and to further a wider understanding of earth history and modern-day earth processes to the traveling public! This post just covers the first two stops in Scotland - I will post the rest of Scotland and Norway in subsequent posts.These are the three formal lectures I gave onboard:

1. Landscapes and Geology of Scotland: The Birthplace of Modern Geology

2. Through Time in the Orkney and Shetland Islands

2. Fjords and Glaciers of Norway and Earth’s Changing Climates (plus - Short History of the Smithsonian) 

There was also the opportunity to visit with guests individually while onshore with observations and insights. The voyage traveled through landscapes containing rocks as old as 3 billion years (the Lewis Gneiss) to Paleogene lava's (about 60 million years old). A highlight for me was learning more about the Caledonian Orogeny, when North America collided with Baltica (ancient Scandinavia) and Avalonia (ancient France and Iberia). This mountain building event commenced about 430 million years ago.

Glasgow

I barely made the ship's departure! My flight to the UK from Phoenix was delayed 21 hours (not cancelled) and other delays caused me to arrive at the ship terminal just before the gangway was lifted. It was quite the adventure.

From the desert of Arizona to green, green Scotland - this is Glasgow

Sailing down the River Clyde from Glasgow - I missed seeing this most interesting city

Fort William and Loch Ness

Fort William is a pleasant town on the Atlantic side of Scotland

A view northwest along "strike" of the Great Glen Fault, which has experienced multiple but
opposing episodes of offset beginning with the Caledonian Orogeny between 430 and 390 Ma
(Mega-annum or millions of years ago). Note the linear line of cliffs on the left and the orientation
of the canal which parallels the fault's strike slip offset. 

Satellite view of the Great Glen fault in winter (image courtesy of the
Geological Society of London)

Later in the day while transiting the loch, the boat's video screens displayed the linear bathymetry
of Loch Ness, which has a maximum depth of 755 ft. We did not see a swimming reptile.

View to the northwest on Loch Ness, which is 23 miles long. The Great Glen Fault is the most
prominent fault in all of Great Britain.

Isle of Skye

Skye is the northernmost and largest island of the Inner Hebrides chain. It has a rich human history dating back to the Mesolithic (in Scotland this dates to about 14,000 to about 5,500 years ago). The scenery is rugged with deep bays and prominent peninsula's.

Our visit began anchored off of Portree, the largest town on Skye at about 2,200 residents. It is
known for its colorfully painted pier buildings.

As we toured the edge of the island, we could see cliffs of layered basalt

The hummocky terrane seen behind the white houses is a gigantic landslide with blocks of rotated rock
sliding from left to right (west to east)

As we drove around the island, we encountered sheer basalt-lined
cliffs, this one with a waterfall

Turning to the south, extensive cliffs were seen. The lava's erupted in the Paleogene, about 60 Ma.

We also visited Dunvegan Castle

My next posting will cover the Orkney and Shetland Island groups. Stay tuned!

Field Trip Guide and Road Log from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon via Cameron and Desert View

Are you staying in Flagstaff and headed to the Grand Canyon's South Rim? If so, this field trip guide may interest you and provide you with a more enjoyable and educational journey!

Ten years ago in 2014, I served as a co-leader on a field trip sponsored by the Association of Engineering Geologists and the Arizona Geological Survey. As part of the field trip, I helped write a mile-by mile road log of the geology of the route that covers 110 miles. You can access the field trip guide here. You may need to be a subscriber to academia.edu to access the field trip guide. Enjoy the trip!

A Quick Trip to Antarctica

It may sound tongue-in-cheek, but after my 24-day journey Around the World on a private jet, a mere 13-day trip to Antarctica meant a lot less packing and unpacking and staying in the same cabin and bed every night. Yes, I flew all the way to Tierra del Fuego and back to Flagstaff without ever having to unpack in a single hotel room - my flight connections were that tight. This trip marked my 31st journey to 'The Ice' and it was one of my best! Have a look.

The city of Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego Island and the Beagle Channel - the jumping off point for Antarctic cruises

Sunrise on February 27, 2024 in the 600-mile-wide Drake Passage - we enjoyed a 'Drake Lake' on this one

Our ship was the 199-passenger Le Boreal belonging to the Ponant Cruise Line (French flagged) 

These are not large cruise ships and the pool is quite small

I had never before in memory witnessed water running from beneath an
Antarctic glacier! Things appear to be warming up on the globe.

View from the top of a hill at our first landing at Neko Harbor

Neko Harbor on the Antarctic mainland

These coarse-grained granite rocks are about 100 million years old and part of the subduction sequence exposed on
the Antarctic Peninsula. Reader and colleague John Warme pointed out the imbrication of the boulders resulting from
storm wash onto the beach!

Cuverville Island is a popular stop to see a Gentoo penguin colony. I first visited here in 1992 and dropped off three
women researchers who set up a seasonal camp among the penguins. They used artificial eggs with electronics that
measured the pulse and heart rate of the penguins as tourists approached the colony - these were baseline studies to
determine the impact of the increasing numbers of tourists on nesting penguins. The result was a 5-meter separation
between people and penguins, a distance in use today.

Gentoo penguins on Cuverville Island

Zodiac cruise around Cuverville Island

It was about this time on our trip that the clouds began to part as high pressure set in!

Amazing ice and crevasse while cruising in Paradise Bay

Antarctica likely has metal resources such as this copper stain
on the rocks in Paradise Bay, However, a 50-year moratorium
on all mineral and oil exploration was signed in 1991 and
finally ratified in 1998, meaning than no mining can occur
on the continent until 2048. Read more about this here.

A leopard seal (Hydrurgaleptronyx) sleeps on a bergy bit

Our "sunny luck" continued on March 2, 2024 when we woke up to brilliant sunshine at Port Charcot

The destination was the monument on top of the hill in the upper right, built by the 1st French Antarctic Expedition
in 1904

Stunning early morning light on Le Boreal with Booth Island in the distance

View from the monument

One of our passengers shared this image of me on top on the monument hill

The amazing part on this glorious morning - no wind! Look at that "glass" on the water!

On the way down the hill, a few humpback whales came to take a look at our ship

Whale and ship

They came right up to the landing deck and hung around - in fact scuba divers had time to dress and enter
the water with them

One of our passengers shared this image with me, taken from an the deck of the ship while I was in a Zodiac nearby

Sailing away from Port Charcot we passed some nice icebergs - in fact it is the icebergs that keep calling me back
to this unique and special destination

Zodiac cruising in perfect conditions near Petermann Island

Looking north into the Lemaire Channel where we encountered Le Boreal's sister ship, Le Lyrial

Sunset near 11 PM on March 2, 2024 from near the Lemaire Channel

In Foyn Harbor on Enterprise Island is the wreck of the whaling vessel, Gouvermoren

Whaling was quite active here from 1915 to 1930

I was lecturing on this trip in the services of Smithsonian Journeys, which I have been leading trips for since 1995.

One of our last stops was in Port Foster, an enclosed bay that sits inside a volcanic caldera

View to the southwest in Port Foster and Kroner Lake, an Antarctica Specially Protected Area

The British Antarctic Survey established a base here in the 1940s complete with an airstrip and hanger for Twin Otter 
aircraft. On my first few visits to this area in the early 1990s, an airplane still "lived" in the hanger.

Sailing back to the north past the South Shetland Islands, we still enjoyed sunshine

Livingston Island

I will be returning to Antarctica in 2025 for two more cruises - I never tire of the pristine landscape, fresh air, and icebergs. I'll be sailing for the first time on a larger vessel, the Regent Seven Seas Splendor. Thank you for reading!