Visitors Flee After ‘Hydrothermal Explosion’ at Yellowstone

Visitors at Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday witnessed a hydrothermal explosion that shot steam and debris into the air, the National Park Service confirmed.

The surprise eruption happened around 10:19 am at Biscuit Basin, a geothermal area about two miles from Old Faithful, the park’s iconic geyser that erupts daily.

No guests or park rangers were injured during the explosion, but some guests nearby captured the event on video . The National Park Service said the extent of damage is currently unknown.

Yellowstone closed Biscuit Basin to visitors as park rangers and geologists investigate the explosion and assess damage to the basin’s boardwalk.

The USGS said that these are fairly common—a similar explosion took place at Biscuit Basin in 2009. Yellowstone sits atop the Yellowstone Caldera—the largest supervolcano in North America, which last erupted 70,000 years ago, according to the USGS.

The agency said that Tuesday’s surprise eruption was not a sign that the volcano would reactivate anytime soon. “Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within [the] volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity,” the USGS said in a statement . “Hydrothermal explosions like that of today are not a sign of impending volcanic eruptions, and they are not caused by magma rising towards the surface.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.