Hydrothermal explosion rocks tourists at Yellowstone National Park
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – A new volcanic vent was discovered at Yellowstone National Park, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced this week.
The USGS noted the feature is a hydrothermal vent, or an opening in the ground where water heated by molten rock below bursts through.
A park scientist discovered the vent on Aug. 5, 2024, in the northwestern region of the park in the Roadside Springs thermal area. There, a column of steam was spotted billowing up from the trees. The scientist notified park geologists, who then closely assessed the feature.
Steam from the vent.
(USGS / FOX Weather)
The geologists noted that the hydrothermal feature had a temperature of 171 degrees Fahrenheit. It was also surrounded by a thin layer of gray silicious clay, which denoted that the feature was young, the USGS said.
While young, the feature may be connected to a similar vent that was discovered nearby more than 20 years ago.
The vent discovered last summer is located at the foot of a rhyolite lava flow, which is an underground stream of molten rock that flows from a volcano, and is part of hydrothermally altered ground, according to the USGS.
The feature remained prominent going into last fall, with a robust plume of steam being particularly visible on cold mornings, officials said. However, the steam plume slowly disappeared as winter set in.
Location of vent discovered in the summer of 2025, compared to location of vent discovered in 2003.
(USGS / FOX Weather)
Whether the vent will produce another steam column this summer is yet to be determined.
The discovery came weeks after a geyser in an area of the park known as Biscuit Basin exploded, sending debris flying into the air, destroying a boardwalk and startling park visitors.
Yellowstone sits atop one of the planet’s largest reservoirs of magma, which is the engine behind hydrothermal features – from the small vent discovered last summer to large geysers like Old Faithful – located throughout the park.