What Caused Yellowstone Park Hydrothermal Explosion?

Although it was a terrifying and spectacular event, it's not uncommon in Yellowstone Park.

   Officials explain why massive blast took out park of walkway

Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Park Service, a hydrothermal explosion blew apart a large section of walkway in the Biscuit Basin, about two miles away from Old Faithful.

Biscuit Basin is now closed til further notice, to perform repairs and ensure the area is safe.

The National Park Service says these explosions are not uncommon, they occur when interconnected reservoirs or pools of nearly boiling liquids underground suddenly lose pressure and shift into steam, which rapidly builds up underground.  Because steam takes up more room than water, the pressure causes an explosion.

The blast sent hot water, rock, and debris high into the air when it happened. According to CNN  and the National Park Service, these have happened before:

“Porkchop Geyser, in Norris Geyser Basin, experienced an explosion in 1989, and a small event in Norris Geyser Basin was recorded by monitoring equipment on April 15, 2024. An explosion similar to that of today also occurred in Biscuit Basin on May 17, 2009,” a joint release from the park and the USGS said."

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The explosion does not mean a volcanic eruption is imminent at Yellowstone, data shows no changes in the sub-surface formations. The explosions were not caused by magma moving to the surface, said officials.