US Panic Today's: Powerful Eruption in Yellowstone: Terrifying Seconds of Giant Geyser Erupting Live

Geologists have revealed new details about a recent geyser eruption at Yellowstone National Park, including the shallow depth of the explosion and staggering height of its plume. A geyser that erupted last week in Yellowstone National Park fired water and rock debris up to 600 feet (180 meters) into the air, scientists say — six times higher than was initially reported. Geologists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) estimated the height of the plume by examining photos posted on social media. They also pinpointed the site and depth of the eruption, which occurred July 23 at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) northwest of the famous Old Faithful geyser.

Powerful hydrothermal vents have rocked the park in the past and could do so again in the future. Those that occur at active volcanoes are called phreatic eruptions. They occur when groundwater is suddenly heated by magma or gas. But similar steam eruptions, called hydrothermal vents, can occur in areas without active volcanoes. Like Ontake and White Island, the destructive force comes from water expanding into steam.

Yellowstone National Park, which hasn’t had a magma eruption in 70,000 years, has seen hundreds of hydrothermal vents of varying sizes. “In the historical record, they’ve been small,” said Paul Bedrosian, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Lakewood, Colorado. “But we know [Yellowstone] is capable of producing a powerful eruption.”

#yellowstonevolcano #volcano #yellowstoneeruption #usavurick #yellowstonenationalpark​ #volcanoes​ #yellowstonevolcano​