Webcam Captures Muddy Eruption at Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool for First Time

An official webcam has captured clear footage of a muddy eruption at Black Diamond Pool — one of the most active hydrothermal pools in Yellowstone National Park — for the first time.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory webcam captured the “dirty eruption” that occurred on the morning of December 20 at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin within the park. The footage shows a mix of superheated water, mud, rocks, and debris shooting around 30 to 40 feet into the air.

A “dirty eruption” is a type of hydrothermal explosion that includes mud and solid material as well as hot water. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shared the video, which shows mud spraying up and out of the dark pool just before 9:23 AM local time. In a caption accompanying the webcam footage on social media, USGS Volcanoes describes the eruption as simply “Kablooey!”

According to the agency, this is the first time one of these recent eruptions at Black Diamond Pool has been clearly captured on camera. Other eruptions in recent months were mostly heard rather than seen, as they occurred at night or when the webcam view was blocked by ice.

The footage of the eruption comes after researchers installed a new camera and seismic/ acoustic monitoring station at Biscuit Basin. These instruments, along with temperature sensors maintained by the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program, provide a better ability to detect and characterize these eruptions. The new webcam setup proved effective in filming the recent eruption.

“We got a nice clear view of one of these dirty eruptions under bright blue skies with the surroundings covered in snow (ah, winter in Yellowstone!),” USGS Volcanoes writes on social media. “A great example of the style of activity that has been occurring at Black Diamond Pool over the past 19 months!”

Black Diamond Pool was the site of a much larger hydrothermal explosion in July 2024, which sent rocks and mud hundreds of feet into the air and damaged a nearby boardwalk. The damage led to the closure of the area to visitors because of safety concerns and the risk of further activity. Smaller dirty eruptions, reaching up to about 40 feet, have occurred sporadically since then.

Image credits: Header photo via Facebook/ USGS Volcanoes.