It may be famous for its reliable ‘Old Faithful’ geyser, but one should never forget that Yellowstone National Park sits on top of a rumbling, dynamic, active supervolcano.
Changes are always happening, sometimes spectacularly, sometimes less so. But they’re always interesting. Case in point: the discovery of a newly opened volcanic vent, caught in the act of spewing a billowing steam cloud into the air.
A scientist spotted the telltale plume in August 2024 and work was undertaken to figure out what it was – and to confirm if it was indeed a new hydrothermal feature.
Closer inspection revealed a temperature of 77 degrees Celsius (171 Fahrenheit) and a very thin coating of gray siliceous clay, indicating that the vent itself was newly opened.
Although the vent itself is new, it’s not necessarily an indicator of new hydrothermal activity. It was found in a region called Roadside Springs, under which sits a large hydrothermal area; underground water heated by the supervolcano that underlies Yellowstone itself.
The vent may be related to similar activity that kicked up more than two decades ago.
“On March 10, 2003, a similar type of hydrothermal activity was first observed on the other side of the same rhyolite lava flow where the new feature is located, just west of Nymph Lake,” Yellowstone Volcano Observatory wrote in a description of the feature.
“This hydrothermal activity persists through this day but is much less energetic than when it first formed.”
It’s possible the two regions are connected by an underground reservoir; they are connected by a line of faults that runs from Norris Geyser Basin to the Mammoth Hot Springs.
The new vent may also behave the same way. Initially, it belched a thick plume of steam out into the air that persisted over the fall, but gradually diminished by winter. It’s still active, it’s just not releasing much steam at all. How it changes, and what that can tell us about the underlying region, is going to involve more monitoring work.
There is so much going on underneath Yellowstone; it’s a hotspot not just for volcanism, but science. For example, the microbes that live around its toxic hot springs can teach us about the extreme adaptations that life will make for survival, and even how life on Earth may have gotten its start.
It’s also practically shivering with earthquake activity at times, and likes to occasionally throw out random explosions, just to keep us on our toes presumably. Scientists believe that the giant magma reservoir underneath the region is on the move too.
Yellowstone truly is a natural wonder, well worth experiencing first hand. Just make sure you watch your step.
