Among the vast forests, herds of bison, and steaming geysers, a new hydrothermal feature has emerged at Yellowstone National Park.
After an exciting summer, with the park seeing a hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin and Norris Geyser Basin, one of the park’s scientists also spotted the new hydrothermal feature. According to a news release from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the new feature “popped up right in front of our eyes — literally!”
The new feature could be seen from the road, and although it seems to have gone nearly dormant over the winter, researchers at the park think it may come back this summer.
Looking southeast at the hydrothermal feature that formed in August 2024 just north of Nymph Lake. Steam is emanating from a vent that is partially full of water to create the frying pan feature nestled in the newly formed vent. A thin grey layer of silica mud covers the vent area. (Image Courtesy of: Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park, August 2024/Public Domain)
Spotting the New Hydrothermal Feature
While driving near Mammoth Hotsprings, one of the park’s most notable attractions, a park scientist spotted steam billowing out from a patch of trees in a marshy area. The scientists reported it to the park’s geology staff to confirm if it was a new feature.
A research team made their way through the marsh area, located the feature, and noted that grey siliceous clay lightly covered the opening, indicating that this was a rather new feature. According to the USGS, the new hydrothermal feature is about 171 degrees Fahrenheit and is located in the Roadside Springs thermal area, where a similar feature emerged about 20 years earlier.
Read More: Magma Beneath Yellowstone Appears to be on the Move
A Hydrothermal Divide
Yellowstone National Park lies within the Yellowstone Caldera and has a long volcanic history. The park is home to thousands of thermal features ranging from hot springs to geysers to mud pods to steam vents. These thermal features are caused by the magma reservoir underneath the park, and magma still flows to this day.
According to the USGS, the new feature sits at the foot of a rhyolite lava flow about 10 feet above the marsh, which is all within a hydrothermally altered area about 200 feet long. Although this feature is new to researchers, it may also be part of a different hydrothermal feature that emerged decades years ago.
In 2003, researchers noted a similar hydrothermal feature spring up on the other side of the rhyolite flow near Nymph Lake. Researchers think its likely that the 2003 hydrothermal feature and the new one that sprouted up in 2024 are connected.
“One could run a line along the axis of the older active area, and it would intersect the new feature. This line also follows the trend of faults that run from Norris Geyser Basin northward to Mammoth Hot Springs and beyond,” said Yellowstone National Park geologists Jefferson Hungerford and Kiernan Folz-Donahue, in the latest edition of Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles, which is part of the USGS.
Aerial view looking to the west at the Roadside Springs hydrothermal area and Nymph Lake showing the locations of thermal features that formed in 2003 and 2024. Yellow line marks the Mammoth-Norris highway. (Image Courtesy of: Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park/Public Domain)
Running Out of Steam
The 2003 hydrothermal feature is still active, but the new 2024 feature has run out of steam. It remained active well into the fall of 2024 but nearly went cold during the winter. According to the USGS, the hydrothermal feature is still active, but the water in the vent seems to be keeping the steam at bay.
It’s still too early yet to see if the new hydrothermal feature will begin billowing steam again but until then, researchers will keep a close eye on it.
Read More: Microbes in Yellowstone Thermal Pools Could Shed Light on Ancient Life
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
