WATCH: Giant Yellowstone Eruption Nearly Triggers Catastrophe

Living near the edge of a supervolcano has been interesting. The thought of an apocalyptic explosion always seems to cross my mind at the most random times. With scientists saying that the Yellowstone caldera is past due on a big eruption, the thought of the big boom lingers in my mind. Now, imagine having that thought while visiting the park, and suddenly you witness an unexpected eruption. I would probably need to go find some new pants.

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This morning (Tuesday 7/23) an unexpected eruption happened in Biscuit Basin located in Yellowstone National Park. The normally quiet geyser, known as "Black Diamond," let go of a massive eruption of mud and hot water. It blasted a black plume of water, mud, and steam into the air. This was no spectator event like "Old Faithfull. The "Black Diamond" geyser rarely erupts. In fact, up until this year, it has been 8 years since its last eruption, according to geysertimes.org.

A visitor to the park captured the eruption on film and nearly caught footage of a catastrophe. The video shows unsuspecting tourists fleeing the boiling water and steam.

According to the USGS

At around 10:00 AM MST on July 23, 2024, a small hydrothermal explosion occurred in Yellowstone National Park in the Biscuit Basin thermal area, about 2.1 miles (3.5 km) northwest of Old Faithful.  Numerous videos of the event were recorded by visitors.  The boardwalk was damaged, but there were no reports of injury.  The explosion appears to have originated near Black Diamond Pool.

Park visitor Vlada March shared footage of the eruption on social media. Watch just how close some visitors came to being injured. Almost looks like a scene from a disaster movie as the park visitors frantically run away.

Yellowstone National Park has posted pictures of the aftermath of the eruption. Showing the boardwalk, built for visitors' safety, completely destroyed by the blast.