While this hydrothermal was the largest to occur within the park since 1986, it was thankfully a far cry from the massive 7,200 foot wide Mary's Bay Crater which formed 13,800 years ago.
any major Yellowstone eruption would be preceded months in advance by multiple warning signs including 1) ground uplift on a wide scale 2) SO2 emissions X1000 3) widespread ground temperature increases 4) harmonic tremors 5) geyser cycle disruptions
Arnt all those things happening though? I mean, scientists keep saying we are due for an eruption, pointing to all the signs suggesting that it could happen soon (in geologic terms; maybe within our lifetime, maybe longer), only to turn around and say that there is nothing to worry about when something out of the ordinary happens...I mean, wouldnt a geyser exploding count as a "cycle disruption"?
According to Illinois University it would only be possible after about 1000 years of tremendous uplift, creating an entire mountain range in the process.
the Yellowstone volcano's status didn't even come to mind for me. I'm just glad no tourists strayed or were knocked off the boardwalk as a result. a hot spring death is way more horrifying than a classic eruption.
Same. Saw it on social media, and figured I'd wait for an explanation from somebody that knows what caused it. People love to freak out before getting facts.
USGS on facebook was quick to put out reports on this and gave good explanations/analysis periodically during the day. They even gave a more detailed reports of the numerous hydrothermal explosions that have occurred recently
My husband sent me the video of the explosion and I went straight to your page to look for your explanation 😊 Had to settle for USGS update yesterday evening to know that it wasn't an eruption. But I'm so happy that you put a much better explanation up here for me to show him. You're the best at making this stuff easy ❤
Just gotta say, I appreciate your videos. It's been almost 20 years since I did first year geology in university and your channel scratches that itch. Also, on this video you did great coverage of what I'd only seen clips of till now. Please keep up the great work!
Wow, excellent report. I had not heard that this had happened; at first it seemed counterintuitive to me, but now I understand how a pressure drop could cause an event like this. Glad no-one was hurt, 20 pound rocks falling could not end well.
Thanks so much, Geology Hub. I was waiting eagerly for this! I wish people truly know that systems like this produce a huge array of activity, not just a huge, explosive eruption.
Seriously, this channel is a breath of fresh air. All I've heard about this event up until now was an endless stream of mommy bloggers trying like heck to sensationalize whatever footage they managed to get when it happened so they can monetize it. It's been a circus of increasingly hyperbolic end of the world claims from people who don't know anything about this stuff.
Thank you for the breakdown. I saw this on the news and was very skeptical when they said that it has nothing to do with a volcano. They really didn't explain why.
From your previous videos i was comfortable when seeing video footage of considering that I was viewing a hydrothermal event. I can say that Yellowstone volcano never even entered my mind. Thank you.
Thank you, you answered all my questions about what had happened and educated me on the difference between a thermal explosion and a phreatic eruption.
I had not heard of this happening, why am I not surprised people got this wrong. From the perspective of the Yellowstone system not only was this not volcanic it was a common geothermal event of no real significance.
I wait for you to Explain anything I hear about any type of Experience such as this an Truly Appreciate the Coverage and Updates you provide to us Non Geologists.
The internet when literally anything happens at Yellowstone: "Oh yeah! The Big one is coming! END TIMES ARE NEAR!!!" GeologyHub: "Actually..." *Proceeds to make an excellent video explaining what actually happened. The Internet: "...you're no fun."
Great reporting and factual matter here.👍 I wish that the general media include this video along with their reports instead of forecasting doom and gloom.
GH, When I saw a video of this event, I was thinking phreatomagmatic eruption but the all-black eruption said that it wasn't so I waited upon your analysis to explain what this eruption was
Reddit and Twitter were blowing this way out of proportion after it happened. Anyone that knows they smallest amount about volcanoes and specifically Yellowstone knows this was not a volcanic event.
Hell, I'm just a midwest grandma with a high school diploma and even I knew this wasn't volcanic... just an angry little geyser. If it was volcanic those people would've all been dead and the damage would have extended waaaaaaay more than just a few hundred feet. Some folks obviously don't remember or weren't around for Mt St Helen's and it shows.
Many other channels: 15 minutes talking about "Yellowstone will erupt" GeologyHub: less than 5 minutes of facts, including some explanations why an "eruption is not possible"
Thank you for this report. I did see a local geologist quick of the mark to refute volcanic activity, and video footage. Yellowstone gets far and away too much bad press. 👍👍🇬🇧
This is amazing because I was at that very spot around this time last year, on that boardwalk that is now destroyed. Spectacular stuff and we also got the see the Beehive geyser erupt. There's a lot of power trapped under the ground there, and when the water moves, it moves with force!
@@castamere3368 🙂 He doesn't overly hype anything happening. He calmly states scientific explanation of what's going on with the planet. I'm hoping he at least lets us know when it's finally time we should put the lipstick on to kiss our butts goodbye. 🙂
Honestly, probably not the wisest thing to do, but I would likely walk back a few feet and just pulled out my phone and recorded it. This was not known it would happen, but that area is VERY well known for making similar, but far smaller explosions.
A few years ago, Excelsior Geyser blew out in a hydrothermal event which created a larger crater than today's event. It is located in Midway Geyser Basin and is just northwest of Grand Prismatic Spring.
if i'm not wrong, it was actually a similar height explosion (the excelsior one being vaguely estimated at 300+ and this one at 370+) however the excelsior one was practically 200 feet wide, while this one was only a few dozen feet wide. As you can imagine as it was in the 1800's the explosion height estimation for excelsior is quite rough and inaccurate, could be way higher.
While the magma chamber is the cause for the heat, the explosion doesn't occur due to changes in the magmatic system (intruding magma) but rather changes in the hydrothermal system (drop of pressure that allows the water to flash to steam) (As far as I understand it)
The water is heated by the surrounding rocks trapping it underground, which are heated by the magma far below for who knows ow long. Not directly connect ed volcano or magma chamber.
The people who were there must have thought that it was an eruption, and this was the beginning, and lava was going to appear. The filming of the explosion was amazing. And the scientists are going to have a great time analyzing it. Glad no one got hurt.
I’m not clear on the sudden pressure drop caused by a blockage of a geyser. In a connected system, wouldn’t blocking a vent cause higher pressure? or does it mean the large drop in pressure is caused by when these blockages are broken releasing the pressure?
Appreciate your measured coverage as always. If I may, what could lead to such a drop in pressure? I can mostly wrap my head around steam expansion related to phreatic eruptions and the like, but the drop in pressure you mentioned in this instance leaves me feeling like I'm missing something.
In general there are two ways that hydrothermal explosions occur, first is when the water level suddenly drops, allowing superheated water to flash to steam. Which is likely what did NOT happen here Second is when gradually over time the vent providing the water gets narrower and narrower due to the water depositing sinter (name for rock that hydrothermal water releases). Then eventually the vent fully closes off, causing more and more pressure until something moves, allowing a sudden decrease in pressure. This is the most likely example of what happened there.
It's a fascinating place because it is not static; hydrothermal features come and go. Now and then, you get a reminder like this that a visit to Yellowstone is not without risk.
indeed. I wonder if this explosion, due to it's size. Will alter how the pool works. I know that one of the nearby pools got absorbed due to this, but wonder if theres gonna be any occasional boiling or small eruptions due to the change.
Since so many people get obsessed with Yellowstone, it might be worth presenting a video of every _other_ volcano which you consider to be more likely to produce a VEI 8 (or upper end 7) than Yellowstone in the near geologic future.
I first heard about this explosion on social media, but the guy was claiming that this was related to a pending eruption. One thing I like about watching videos on this channel as I get a lot of facts that helps me understand what’s going on, plus I already knew that Yellowstone was not about to erupt because of this channel.
I saw a video purported to be in the vicinity showing visibly glowing magma in a vent/crevasse. I wonder if youve also seen it, and if it further collaborates shallow magma.
Just an idea for a future video, at least something I would be interested in. I'm currently working in Idaho and drive past The Three Buttes and A massive lava field. I haven't been able to find much information about them, but I would be interested to know more about them.
It honestly reminds me a lot of the pictures and descriptions of the Waimangu geyser in New Zealand while it was still active, albeit a one off event. Really makes me wonder if Waimangu erupted more like a repeated hydrothermal explosion event as opposed to a traditional geyser. Neat to see video footage of a hydrothermal explosion in action.
Geysers are very similar but not quite the same. A geyser's "plumbing" has bends in it so ends up with water in some of these bends after an eruption. These water locks allow steam pressure to build up until it gets high enough to blow the water out of the bends. Then repeat. This is why some geysers have a more or less steady repeat cycle.
I'm not familiar with the specifics on waimangu, but that being said. There are a decent handful of example where there was a hydrothermal explosion multiple times in a row (in a cadence of a few a year). So it is very possible.
A minor thermal event by itself is not indicative of anything. However, geologists are noting rises and falls in areas over the caldera itself. There are sensors throughout the park to keep an eye of magma movement.
Dam, I looked up the definition of a phreatic eruption online and the USGS definition of a phreatic eruption is: "Phreatic eruptions are steam-driven explosions that occur when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks, or new volcanic deposits." ...Now I have to go back and re-do my comment on another channel...
Every Vulcanologist in the US has affirmed that the "hot spot" of magma beneath the North American Plate has migrated away from the vicinity of the Yellowstone Caldera and thus is no longer a threat of catastrophic eruption. Yes, Yellowstone and its environs will continue to exhibit volcanic/hydrothermal features, but is not a danger of catastrophic eruption...............................
The change is not due to changes in the magma chamber but both numbers being from different Sudies years apart. They just became better at calculating the amount of molten material.
The Yellowstone Park Authority could take a lesson from English Heritage at 'Stonehenge': keep their boardwalks miles away from the sight people are paying to see!
that doesn't entirely work though. With how dynamic Yellowstone is, a peaceful pool it goes by could suddenly become a geyser, or explode. Or a new geyser could suddenly appear right next to the board walk, such as what happened last year.
Not volcanic but still big news. It is incredibly fortunate that no-one was killed, given that areas of boardwalk (which you would assume "safe") were damaged. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I can see this completely changing the perception of risk to visitors by the park management authority, especially in a nation like the US where people are quick to involve lawyers.
not exactly. This may change things as it was done in a era where information is so much more available, but this has happened before, and is known to happen. This pool system including Black Diamond Pool, Black Opal Pool, and Wall Pool (Black Diamond was the source of this one). Has exploded multiple times in the early-mid 1900's, and 2009 (although the 2009 ones were way smaller, around 1/4 to 1/6 as large) Also, Excelsior geyser crater was caused by an explosion in 1880's. There is also many other small explosions that could have harmed people such as Porkchop geyser in 1989, and theres even geysers where an eruption could harm someone, such as steamboat geyser which they had to replace a sign because it was split in half do to a rock hitting it.
that is quite hard to say. At minimum at few thousand years. However, the hotspot that is providing heat for yellowstone is moving away (heading north east) so it is entirely possible that by the time it could, it will have moved too far away and would just start to cool down again.
