A sudden burst of mud erupted from Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool on Saturday morning, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) captured the event in crystal-clear video.
The Eruption
The video shows mud spraying up and out from the pool just before 9:23 a.m. in Biscuit Basin, located midway between Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic. The footage was taken under bright blue skies, with the surrounding area covered in snow, a scene the USGS described as a “nice clear view of one of these dirty eruptions under bright blue skies with the surroundings covered in snow (ah, winter in Yellowstone!),” USGS Volcanoes said on social media.
Recent Activity and Monitoring
Other recent eruptions at Black Diamond Pool have mostly been audible and not visible, because they occurred at night or when the camera was obscured by ice. In July 2024 the pool experienced a hydrothermal explosion that sent rocks and mud flying hundreds of feet high, damaged a boardwalk, and prompted a closure of the area due to the damage and potential for additional hazardous activity. Since then, dirty eruptions reaching up to 40 feet (about 12 meters) have occurred sporadically. Researchers installed a new camera and a seismic and acoustic monitoring station this summer; the instruments, along with temperature sensors maintained by the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program, can better detect and characterize the eruptions.
Park Context
Yellowstone preserves the most extraordinary collection of hot springs, geysers, mud pots and fumaroles on Earth. More than 10,000 hydrothermal features are found within the park, over 500 of them geysers.
Key Takeaways
- A 40-foot mud blast was captured by USGS at Black Diamond Pool on Saturday morning.
- The pool has experienced sporadic dirty eruptions since a July 2024 explosion that damaged a boardwalk.
- New monitoring equipment installed this summer will improve detection and characterization of future eruptions.
The clear video provides a rare visual record of the ongoing hydrothermal activity at Black Diamond Pool and underscores the importance of continued monitoring in Yellowstone’s dynamic landscape.
