A hydrothermal explosion from Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin sent people fleeing for safety on the morning of July 23, 2024. Steam, water, mud, and pebbles were thrown several hundred feet into the air as a result of liquid water flashing to steam in the congested hot-water plumbing system immediately below the surface. It was fortunate that no one was hurt.
Although they are rarely as extensively documented, these explosions are rather frequent in Yellowstone National Park. at 1989, explosions at Porkchop Geyser at Norris Geyser Basin created craters about 10 feet broad. More recently, on April 15, 2024, explosions occurred over Porcelain Basin. In Yellowstone National Park’s huge geography, hydrothermal explosions of that magnitude most likely happen every year to a few years, but they frequently go unnoticed because they take place at night, in the winter, or in the backcountry.In Yellowstone, an occurrence of the magnitude of the 2024 Black Diamond Pool event most likely happens every few decades.
The biggest front-country hydrothermal explosions that were widely seen prior to the 2024 Black Diamond Pool explosion were those that occurred at Excelsior Geyser in the late 1800s.
Excelsior Geyser is next to the magnificent Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin. A trapper who visited and reported Grand Prismatic Spring in 1839 did not describe the geyser, which may have originated somewhere in the middle of the 1800s, but it was there by 1871 when it was given the name The Cauldron.
The late 19th-century activity of Excelsior Geyser exemplifies the range of hydrothermal activity, from hydrothermal explosions to geyser eruptions. Boulders and massive plumes of material lofted far into the air were part of some of the activity, while other episodes may be described as dirty geyser eruptions that were strong enough to spew small rock fragments.
Although it appears that the earliest of these massive eruptions occurred in 1878, well-documented eruptions that threw material 100–360 feet into the air occurred in 1881–1882. The duration of eruptions might be several minutes, while the intervals between eruptions were as short as one hour. These eruptions released so much water that the Firehole River flowed substantially more while the geyser was active. Some eruptions produced plumes that were visible from a hundred miles distant because to the clouds formed by the steam. Philetus W. Norris, the park superintendent, believed that the feature deserved the name Excelsior because of the magnificent eruptions.
The following is how tour leader Nestor Henderson explained the activity:
Each eruption ended with strong seismic shocks that destroyed the geyserite walls and greatly increased the spectacle’s danger and [sublimity]. At every eruption, these slabs of broken masonry were flung into the air several hundred feet above the highest waves, colliding as they descended into the vast abyss with an incredibly loud boom.
By the end of 1882, the geyser had ceased to exist. Activity resumed vigorously in 1888, however it may have erupted once or twice between 1883 and 1887. Rocks one foot across were flung 500 feet during a sequence of explosions, some of which were captured on camera. Up until 1890, there were still spectacular eruptions and explosions. After then, the geyser went into a nearly 100-year dormant phase, though there might have been some more activity around 1901.
On September 14–16, 1985, the geyser erupted again during a 46-hour period. Compared to the 1800s, these eruptions were much smaller, but they still contained mud, lasted for minutes, and were spaced out by a few minutes to an hour or so. Other for some severe boiling in 2000, no other activity has been observed since.
Naturally, this does not imply that Excelsior is finished. Activity at Excelsior is irregular and erratic, like that of the majority of Yellowstone geysers. And amazing, too. Excelsior, as Stan Lee would say!
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s scientists and partners write a weekly column called Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles.
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