Photo: Westend61 / Westend61 / Getty Images
A hydrothermal feature at Yellowstone National Park suddenly exploded on Tuesday (July 23) morning, sending a thick black plume of smoke into the air and raining debris down on bystanders.
The explosion occurred near the Saphire Pool in the Biscuit Basin area of the park, which is roughly two miles northwest of Old Faithful.
Nobody was injured by the blast, but it caused significant damage to the boardwalk, forcing officials to temporarily close the Biscuit Basin area for safety reasons.
The National Park Service said that the "explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity."
"Yellowstone National Park geologists are investigating the event," Yellowstone National Park and the U.S. Geological Survey said in a joint statement.
Videos of the explosion were shared on Instagram by Vlada March. The videos show people running from the blast as large chunks of rocks rain down on them.
Check them out below!