A gaping hole full of milky blue water has been published in Yellowstone: Sciences

In April, when geologists from Yellowstone National Park made the first visit to the Norris Geyser Basin this year, they came across a new feature that they had never seen before.

They checked the area's temperature protocol stations, a routine maintenance task – but it has been a little different since their last visit.

Where there had been a rather unpleasant property at the northwestern tip of a landmark that is informally known as the “tree island”, there was now a gaping hole about 4 meters wide, filled with milky, light blue water.

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The detection of a violent birth was around the quiet, warm water: many stones about 30 centimeters (1 foot), covered with a fine slick made of light gray mud that corresponded to the exposed walls of the young spring.

All of this was an indication of a hydrothermal explosion. The team checked the park's satellite images to narrow down the timing. In December 2024 there was no sign of the hole, but until January 6, 2025, a small one depression had formed. The hole filled with water was really established until February 13th.

However, the devices from Yellowstone Park use not a signal for the kind of great explosive event that could form this pool in a dramatic burst to recognize the hydrothermal activity.

“The new thermal feature has clearly not formed in a single great explosive event,” write the USGS geophysicist Michael Poland and Yellowstone National Park geologist Jeff Hungerford.

“Rather, it seems that the feature that was formed over several small events that initially thrown rocks and later threw a silica sludge, creating a small pit that was filled with pebbled water.”

These are really good news. One of the reasons why we keep an eye on the hydrothermal activity of Yellowstone is the inclination of the Caldera to massive, explosive outbreaks. After all, it is a super volcano.

The report was published in the USGS Caldera Chronicles.