Part of CDT Closed in Yellowstone Following Hydrothermal Explosion [VIDEO]

On Tuesday a towering hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park launched debris hundreds of feet into the air, sent tourists fleeing, and damaged the surrounding infrastructure and area.

Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin will remain closed for the rest of the 2024 season for safety reasons in the aftermath of the explosion, which occurred near Sapphire Pool.

This closure affects hikers on the Continental Divide Trail. According to the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, “The Park Service is recommending hikers utilize the Upper Geyser Basin (UGB) Biscuit Basin Trail as a reroute option.” The Grand Loop Road remains open.

Yellowstone National Park officials stressed in a recent press release that the explosion was not caused by volcanic activity. “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.”

Scientists will continue to monitor the situation, but it’s possible that further small explosions of boiling water could be possible for days or even months, hence the closure.

While smaller hydrothermal explosions have occurred in Yellowstone as recently as 2009, the park has not seen an explosion on this scale since the 1880s at Excelsior Geyser in Midway Geyser Basin.

Featured image: National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park.