Yellowstone hydrothermal explosion leaves pools "overflowing" as hazards remain, officials say
CBSN
Two pools at Yellowstone National Park are overflowing and the area remains hazardous for visitors two days after a hydrothermal explosion in the park's Biscuit Basin.
An underground stream of water beneath the park's Black Diamond Pool suddenly turned to steam, throwing boiling water and hot rocks high into the air just before 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 23. Since gas takes up more space than liquid, there isn't enough room for the substances to exist, which causes an explosion, the Weather Channel's Stephanie Abrams told CBS News.
Typically, this results in the geysers and hot springs Yellowstone is known for, but on Tuesday, it resulted in an explosion that sent steam and debris "hundreds of feet above the ground," according to the National Parks Service. A boardwalk was destroyed, nearby trees were killed, and "grapefruit-sized rocks" were thrown into the air. Some blocks of debris weigh hundreds of pounds and are about 3 feet wide, the NPS said. No one was hurt in the explosion, though visitors were in the area.
