A muddy eruption at Yellowstone National Park’s Black Diamond Pool sent debris spraying into the air on Saturday morning, marking the latest in a series of hydrothermal events at the tourist hotspot.
The U.S. Geological Survey captured rare footage of the 9:23 a.m. “kablooey” at Biscuit Basin, located between Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic.
The dramatic display illustrates ongoing instability at the site, which has experienced sporadic eruptions reaching 40 feet since a major hydrothermal explosion damaged boardwalks and sent rocks flying in July 2024.
“We got a nice clear view of one of these dirty eruptions under bright blue skies with the surroundings covered in snow (ah, winter in Yellowstone!),” USGS Volcanoes said on social media. The agency noted it was “a great example of the kind of activity that has been happening at the spot over the past 19 months.”
Recent eruptions have mostly gone unseen, occurring either at night or when ice obscured the monitoring camera. The webcam capturing Saturday’s event was installed in May specifically to track the volatile pool’s activity.
Biscuit Basin remains closed to visitors due to damage and potential hazards from the unpredictable eruptions.
Yellowstone preserves an extraordinary collection of hydrothermal features, including over 10,000 hot springs, geysers, mud pots, and fumaroles. More than 500 of these features are geysers, making the park a unique geological laboratory for scientists studying volcanic activity.
