Hydrothermal Explosion Damages Yellowstone National Park Area

  July 26, 2024    Buddieizreal

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 Hydrothermal Explosion Damages Yellowstone National Park Area

A hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park caused damage to a boardwalk and propelled debris several stories into the air on Tuesday morning in the Biscuit Basin area, northwest of Old Faithful, according to Michael Poland, the scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The explosion, which Poland described as "small," occurred around 10 a.m. about 2.1 miles northwest of Old Faithful, likely in the Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin.

Poland stated that no injuries had been reported as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Videos posted online by witnesses showed people on the boardwalk near the explosion site and footage of the aftermath revealed debris scattered across the area and a damaged boardwalk.

For safety reasons, the parking lot and boardwalks in Biscuit Basin are temporarily closed. Yellowstone National Park geologists are investigating the explosion but have indicated that data shows no unusual volcanic activity.

“Monitoring data show no changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity,” Poland said in a statement. “Hydrothermal explosions like today’s are not a sign of impending volcanic eruptions, and they are not caused by magma rising toward the surface.”

He explained that these explosions occur when water rapidly turns to steam underground and are “relatively common” in Yellowstone National Park.

There was a similar explosion in Biscuit Bay in May 2009 and a smaller one in Norris Geyser Basin on April 15. Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin exploded in 1989.

Hydrothermal explosions can send boiling water, steam, mud, and rock into the air, sometimes reaching heights of up to 1.2 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A 2018 report stated that large hydrothermal explosions occur on average every 700 years. At least 25 craters in the park are over 328 feet wide.

“Although large hydrothermal explosions are rare events on a human time scale, the potential for additional future events of this sort in Yellowstone National Park is not insignificant,” the report noted. “Based on the occurrence of large hydrothermal explosion events over the past 16,000 years, an explosion large enough to create a 100-meter (328-ft) wide crater might be expected every few hundred years.”

The National Park Service reported that Black Diamond Pool erupted with black, murky water following an earthquake in July 2006 and experienced “several explosive eruptions” in the subsequent days, though eruptions have been “infrequent” since then. Its average temperature is 148.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yellowstone National Park's public affairs office directed inquiries to the news release from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and indicated that no further information was available early Tuesday afternoon.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory stated it would provide more information as it becomes available.

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Watch: Whale Off New Hampshire Collides with Fishing Boat, Tossing Men into the Atlantic

  July 24, 2024    Buddieizreal

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 Watch: Whale Off New Hampshire Collides with Fishing Boat, Tossing Men into the Atlantic

A whale mid-breach struck a small boat off New Hampshire, causing the vessel to capsize and hurling two fishermen overboard in seconds.

Colin and Wyatt Yager, teenage brothers from Maine on a nearby vessel, shared the footage on social media Tuesday. According to Seacoastonline, part of the USA TODAY Network, the video has been widely reposted, garnering over four million views and hundreds of comments. The caption warns area residents to beware of a “pissed-off whale” patrolling the waters of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “Head on a swivel if you’re out there,” it reads.

The teens "swiftly rescued" both fishermen after their boat capsized off Odiorne Point in Rye, New Hampshire, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Diolanda Caballero told Seacoastonline.

Initially, Wyatt Yager wasn’t worried about the whale, explaining to Seacoastonline that all boats stayed along the edge of the school of fish to allow the whale to feed. However, the whale got too close, causing the vessel to tip over.

"I was just in shock. Everyone else had the same reaction and tried to get over to those people," he said. "It was like, 'Oh shoot,' and then, 'We’ve got to go help these people.' All the boats dropped what they were doing to assist."

Neither the men thrown into the ocean nor the whale were injured, Caballero said.

The Coast Guard learned of the capsized vessel Tuesday morning in Rye, a few miles northeast of Portsmouth, Seacoastonline reported. The teens were fishing for menhaden, also known as "pogies," around 7 a.m.

An hour later, the whale crashed into Greg Paquette and Ryland Kenney's boat, launching both men into "fight or flight mode" after they were thrown into the water, Seacoastonline reported.

“I heard a big crackle,” Kenney told the newspaper. "When that happened … the bow tipped up, and I went to the left. As the boat was rolling over, I kind of jumped off horizontally to avoid the whale and the boat.”

The last thing Paquette saw before being thrown into the water was the whale's head, which slammed down on the boat's engine.

“Then I saw the whole stern become inundated with water, and I thought, ‘Oh no. We’re going down. We’re going to sink now,’” Paquette told Seacoastonline. They managed to swim away from the swamped boat in seconds and became very tired after the initial "energy and adrenaline" wore off. "It's been an emotional day," Paquette said.

The men stayed in the Yagers' boat for about 15 minutes before the brothers transferred them to a nearby friend's vessel until the Coast Guard arrived, according to Wyatt Yager. Paquette and Kenney were then transported to the Great Cove Boat Club in Eliot, Maine.

Both men were in the water for less than two minutes before being rescued by 19-year-old Wyatt and 16-year-old Colin.

"We’re glad they took such quick action," Paquette said. "They didn’t even think about it. We’re really grateful to both of them."

While the whale made a big splash, Colin Yager’s reaction to the “breach” has gained the most attention. 

Multiple people commented on Colin’s quick instincts. “Kid's like ‘I want to go home now,’" one user wrote. Another added: “That kid had the right idea lol turned around and was ready to book it.”

Daisy Evans commented that the “incredible scene” was the result of “unfortunate timing,” noting that the whale was breaching under a school of baitfish next to the boat. “You can actually see dozens of fish pouring out of its mouth as it impacts the boat. The whale was not attacking,” she wrote.

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