Every once in a while, things happen in nature, and people get freaked out.

It's natural. We get nervous when we think of bad things happening and cannot do anything about them.

When Tuesday's explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone happened, videos circulated on social media, and the freakouts started.

How often have you heard, "When Yellowstone's Supervolcano blows, we're in trouble?"

That statement is true, but, likely, we will not see that happen in our lifetime.

The explosion that occurred Tuesday wasn't a volcanic explosion. It was a hydrothermal explosion. According to the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey),

In Yellowstone, hydrothermal explosions are violent and dramatic events that can occur with little-to-no-warning. They occur in shallow reservoirs of fluids are at or near the boiling point. The fluids can flash to steam if the pressure suddenly drops, hurling boiling water, steam, mud, and rock fragments into the air.
These are not volcanic eruptions. In fact, the deeper magmatic system appears to be unaffected by these spectacular explosions within the hydrothermal system. No changes have been observed in Yellowstone volcano monitoring data as a result of the hydrothermal explosion and Yellowstone remains at normal, background levels of activity.
Small hydrothermal explosions happen almost annually in Yellowstone National Park—like a small crater in Norris Geyser Basin that formed during a minor hydrothermal explosion on April 15, 2024. Another recent and notable hydrothermal explosion occurred in 1989 at Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin. The remains of this explosion are still clearly visible today as jumbled chunks of rock 15 ft (5 m) across Porkchop's central spring. In the 1880s and early 1890s, a series of powerful hydrothermal explosions and geyser eruptions occurred at Excelsior Geyser in the Midway Geyser Basin. Some of the explosions hurled large rocks as far as 50 ft (15 m).

Thankfully, no one was injured, and most of the damage was done to the boardwalks around the area.

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