Biscuit Basin update – Scientists get hydrothermal answers
YELLOWSTONE, Montana (KIFI)—Nearly three months after the dramatic explosion of Biscuit Basin, scientists say new data paints a clear picture of what happened.
According to scientists with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, "The explosion was not caused by direct interaction of magma and water." In other words, volcanic activity was not involved.
"The explosion was caused by a buildup of boiling water and steam at shallow levels of the black diamond pool," according to lead scientist Dr. Michael Poland.
"It's a bit like the plumbing in an old house," said Dr. Poland. "The pipes sort of get full of gunk and that can cause pressure to build. And that's what happened in the case of the Biscuit Basin explosion. Pressure built because parts of the plumbing system were sealed up and it resulted in an explosion."
According to Dr. Poland, Yellowstone is one of the most well-monitored areas in the world for seismic activities. But in the wake of the biscuit basin explosion, they're considering adding additional monitors to the park's thermal areas.
"These thermal areas are some of the most dynamic areas on the planet," said Poland. "...Every time you go, it's a different experience because things are always changing. So we need to get more monitoring equipment into the geyser basins, and that will allow us to better track these dynamic changes. That might ultimately lead us to be able to forecast things like that hydrothermal explosion back in July."
He also adds that explosions of this kind aren't uncommon at Yellowstone; one generally occurs about every decade and has nothing to do with volcanic activity.
