Yellowstone National Park is an ever-changing landscape, and 2024 was defined by a spectacular explosion that became one of the biggest changes observed by scientists and visitors in several decades.
Mike Poland, scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, said that “2024 was the year of the hydrothermal explosion. The explosion at Biscuit Basin was certainly the most visible and hazardous event of the year, and it brought a lot of awareness of that hazard in Yellowstone.”
The July 23 hydrothermal explosion of Black Diamond Pool might have been the most sensational happening in Yellowstone last year, but a lot of other things did and didn’t happen in 2024. As scientists reflect on a calendar year of changes, it is a reminder of what makes the park such an interesting and enjoyable place to explore and study.
“The typical ever-changing activity is just Yellowstone being Yellowstone,” Poland said, adding that, “2024 was a typical year in that regard.”
Biscuit Basin Blows Up
The dramatic explosion of Black Diamond Pool in the Biscuit Basin in July was determined to be a hydrothermal explosion. Subterranean heat caused water to rapidly expand into steam, which created tremendous energy that sent large rocks and black water soaring into the air.
Officials say it’s fortunate nobody was hurt when the pool erupted, and Biscuit Basin has been closed since the Jul 23 eruption as the area is assessed to determine how to reconstruct the boardwalk destroyed by the explosion. But it’s been getting a lot of attention from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
Poland said more monitoring equipment was installed at Biscuit Basin after the explosion. That equipment detected several smaller events, including “violent boiling” and small surges that send water and mud up to 30 feet into the air.
“The park is certainly interested in knowing more about the activity in Biscuit Basin,” he said. “That'll be the focus of the new equipment that we will put there, tracking that activity along with everything else that happens in the park.
Poland noted that Biscuit Basin wasn’t the only site of a hydrothermal explosion last year. Another happened in the Porcelain Basin in the Norris Geyser Basin on April 15.
The Porcelian explosion was considerably smaller, leaving a 10-foot crater. Nobody witnessed it firsthand, but sensors installed by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory in September 2023 detected it. Poland said that detection supports installing more sensors throughout the park for scientific discovery and visitor safety.
“The Black Diamond Pool explosion could have gone differently,” Poland said.
“Fortunately, no one was injured, but they could have been if conditions were slightly different. We detected the smaller explosion in Norris, and detection supports the strategy of the monitoring network we’re trying to build for the future.”
A reopening for the boardwalk at Black Diamond Pool hasn’t been announced.
A dramatic video of the aftermath of the Black Diamond Pool explosion July 23, 2024, resembles a war zone. The event also is an opportunity for research, and the park has put out a call for help in studying what happened. (National Park Service) 
Abyss Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park is getting hotter and changing colors, which scientists say may indicate it's building up to violently erupt. Then again, it may not. (Getty Images) 
(Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
The Black Diamond Pool area has been closed since the pool exploded July 23, 2024, taking much of the boardwalk with it. A date for reopening the area hasn't been announced. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
The Black Diamond Pool area has been closed since the pool exploded July 23, 2024, taking much of the boardwalk with it. A date for reopening the area hasn't been announced. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
Jill Valley of KPAX news in Missoula, Montana, was at Steamboat Geyeser in Yellowstone National Park to capture video of one of its infrequent eruptions on Oct. 7, 2024. (Courtesy Jill Valley, KPAX TV)
Less Shaky Ground
The hydrothermal explosion of Black Diamond Pool was the most earth-shaking news of the year in Yellowstone, but the ground didn’t shake much in 2024 overall. Poland said that seismically, it was “a relatively quiet year” in the park, with fewer earthquakes than usual.
“We had around 1,173 earthquakes in 2024,” he said. “That’s on the low side, as we typically see around 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes a year.”
The largest earthquake recorded in Yellowstone was a magnitude 3.3, which Poland said is also on “the low side” for the park. However, there’s nothing unusual about being on the low side.
“We've had years where there were less than 1,000 earthquakes,” he said. “We were on the low end of what's typical, but that's not unusual.”
Shutting Off Steamboat
In 2024, Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin erupted six times, sending water 300 feet into the air and covering vehicles in the nearby parking lot with a layer of silica.
Steamboat Geyser erupted nine times in 2023, 11 times in 2022, and 20 times in 2021.
The ongoing pattern of less-frequent eruptions continued in 2024, which suggests Steamboat could become mostly dormant soon.
“We had 48 eruptions in 2019 and 2020,” Poland said. “That was a peak, and since that time, the number of eruptions each year has decreased. It feels like Steamboat is going back to sleep.”
Steamboat Geyser has an observed pattern of decades-long dormancy interrupted by periods of frequent eruptions. Similar periods occurred in the 1960s, the 1990s, and between 2014 and 2018.
The ongoing decline in eruptions and the longer periods between them could signify that Steamboat Geyser is losing steam and going dormant again. Only time will tell.
“You can never say for sure with Steamboat, but it's certainly on that path,” Poland said.
New And Odd Behavior
Elsewhere in Yellowstone, several notable geothermal phenomena remain under observation.
The Abyss Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin heated up, changing its water from dark greenish black to brilliant blue. This could be a sign of an imminent eruption of the usually placid pool or a fluke of temperature that could abate without incident.
“We don’t have direct observations of Abyss Pool during winter,” Poland said, “but it’s still pretty hot.”
Elsewhere, a new steam vent, or fumarole, has emerged along the shore of Nymph Lake a few miles north of the Norris Geyser Basin in an area that’s become increasingly active over the last decade. In the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful, Economic Geyser had a series of eruptions for the first time since 1999.
Poland described this intriguing activity as “typical Yellowstone.”
“In Yellowstone, where the only constant is change,” he said.
Looking And Working Ahead
With a new year in Yellowstone National Park, everyone is learning from the lessons of 2024. A recent scientific analysis shows that a volcanic eruption is highly unlikely, but 2024 reminded park officials, scientists and visitors of the park's more potent threats.
Several people were on the Biscuit Basin boardwalk when Black Diamond Pool exploded, which makes it all the more miraculous that nobody was hurt. Poland said the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and Yellowstone officials will monitor Biscuit Basin closely in 2025 and apply what they learn to other areas of the park.
“We’re hoping to deploy more monitoring equipment in 2025,” he said. “Learning more about the hydrothermal activity of Biscuit Basin will be a big focus for us.”
Poland also discussed several sensor upgrades and station installations throughout Yellowstone, which will contribute to the ongoing research of the area’s dynamic landscape. This will enhance knowledge and safety in Yellowstone and benefit volcanologists studying volcanoes worldwide.
“The volcanological community benefits from everything we learn in Yellowstone National Park,” he said. “The more we understand Yellowstone, the more we can understand similar volcanic systems worldwide, and vice versa. It’s a dynamic place, as 2024 showed, and 2025 will continue to show us.
More details on the geothermal events in Yellowstone National Park in 2024 are available in the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory's Caldera Chronicles.
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
