Tourists and officials were startled by a hydrothermal explosion at Black Diamond Pool in July 2024. Geoscientists are working out how and why it occurred to better understand these hazardous events.

Image by uhg1234 via Depositphotos. The recent hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone underscores the unpredictable nature of the park’s geothermal activity. While such events can be startling, ...

Yellowstone’s magma chamber is mostly made of a light-colored rock called rhyolite. It spreads out over an area roughly 55 miles long and 30 miles wide and reaches down to a depth of about 10 miles.

Editor's note: Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Blaine McCleskey, ...

The volcano may not erupt. But if magma quickly fills the chamber and an eruption does occur, the ground will likely bulge or otherwise change shape, a process called deformation.

Volcano by the numbers They found that a high flow of magma into a chamber increases the deformation of the ground and the likelihood of an eruption. If magma is flowing quickly into a large chamber, ...

Volcano by the numbers They found that a high flow of magma into a chamber increases the deformation of the ground and the likelihood of an eruption. If magma is flowing quickly into a large ...

Some volcanoes erupt without warning. Scientists studying Alaska’s Veniaminof volcano found that warm rock, small magma chambers, and slow flows can mask eruption signs.

On the night of May 31, an eruption from the Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone National Park shot up about 20 feet, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

In an email, a spokesperson for Yellowstone National Park said the parking lot and boardwalks are still closed at Biscuit Basin: “We are closely monitoring activity at the site for the ...

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge Michael Poland said the detection of the burst at the Black Diamond Pool shows the camera was a good investment, and the plan is to install a ...