Old Faithful blows its top? Well, not really.
OK, look, it wasn't really old faithful. But it was at Yellowstone National Park in Biscuit Basin, near the parking lot about two miles northwest of Old Faithful.
according to cnn.com,
‘No injuries were reported after the incident, which occurred near the Sapphire Pool around 10 a.m. local time. Investigators have yet to determine how much damage has occurred. “Hydrothermal explosions are violent and dramatic events resulting in the rapid ejection of boiling water, steam, mud, and rock fragments,” according to the US Geological Survey.
After watching the video, I don't know what I would think. I would probably be quite frightened. Keep in mind there's a lot of material spewing out of the ground and it's probably quite hot. It also caused quite a bit of damage to the boardwalk and that's why Yellowstone has closed down that area of the park for repairs.
The park says that they have had hypothermal explosions before. One back in 1989 at Porkchop Geyser. And another smaller one at. Norris. Geyser Basin.
The main thing to keep in mind is this does not indicate any kind of volcanic eruption is in the near future. The US Geological Survey says that large hypothermal explosions do occur, but at approximately one or two every 700 years. Those who were there to witness the one that occurred Tuesday at around 10am (local time) should count themselves lucky. They should also count themselves doubly lucky that nobody was injured.
To me, this is just one more reason to go visit Yellowstone. Something I have yet to do. Unfortunately, I don't think I could move fast enough to get out of the way if one of those hypothermal explosions occurred again.
Yellowstone National Park closes some areas after hydrothermal explosion | CNN
Sapphire Pool (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Hydrothermal explosions in Yellowstone National Park | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)
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