Muddy eruption at Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool captured on video

Dramatic “Kablooey” Eruption Captured at Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool

A spectacular muddy eruption at Yellowstone National Park’s Black Diamond Pool was caught on camera Saturday morning, with U.S. Geological Survey volcanic experts colorfully describing the event as “Kablooey!”

The eruption, recorded just before 9:23 a.m., sent mud spraying upward from the thermal feature located in Biscuit Basin, a popular area situated between Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring. Video of the event was subsequently shared by the USGS on social media platforms.

This latest eruption stands out because it was clearly visible, unlike recent activity that has been primarily audible but not viewable due to nighttime occurrences or when camera equipment was obscured by ice.

The Black Diamond Pool has been a site of significant hydrothermal activity in recent months. In July 2024, a major hydrothermal explosion at the location sent rocks and mud hundreds of feet into the air, damaging a nearby boardwalk. That event prompted park officials to close the area to visitors both because of the physical damage and concerns about potential additional hazardous activity.

Since that initial explosion, the pool has experienced sporadic “dirty eruptions” reaching heights of up to 40 feet (approximately 12 meters), keeping researchers and park officials vigilant.

In response to the increased activity, scientists installed enhanced monitoring equipment at the site this summer. The new setup includes a camera and a seismic and acoustic monitoring station. These instruments, along with temperature sensors maintained by the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program, enable researchers to better detect and characterize the eruptions as they occur.

Saturday’s event provided an ideal opportunity for the new equipment to demonstrate its effectiveness. “We got 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 noted in their social media post. The agency highlighted that this eruption exemplifies the type of activity that has been occurring at the location over the past 19 months.

What makes these eruptions particularly challenging to predict is their seemingly random nature. According to experts, there is no discernible pattern to the eruptions at Black Diamond Pool, nor are there reliable precursors that might signal when an eruption is imminent.

The unpredictability underscores the dynamic and ever-changing nature of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features, which represent one of the most concentrated collections of geothermal phenomena on the planet.

Yellowstone National Park is world-renowned for its extraordinary concentration of hydrothermal features. Park officials note that the protected area preserves more than 10,000 thermal features, including over 500 geysers—the largest collection of its kind anywhere on Earth. These features range from predictable geysers like Old Faithful to unpredictable mud pots and fumaroles scattered throughout the park’s 2.2 million acres.

The ongoing activity at Black Diamond Pool highlights the constantly evolving nature of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. While these eruptions represent normal behavior for a hydrothermal system of Yellowstone’s magnitude, they also serve as reminders of the raw geologic power beneath the park’s surface.

Yellowstone sits atop one of the world’s largest active volcanic systems, with a magma chamber that heats groundwater to create the park’s famous geysers, hot springs, and other thermal features. Scientists closely monitor this activity not only for visitor safety but also to better understand the complex geological processes at work in this unique environment.

For now, Black Diamond Pool remains under observation as researchers continue to document its eruption patterns, providing both scientific data and spectacular visual displays for those fortunate enough to witness them—from a safe distance.