Yellowstone’s landscape shifts again with discovery of new thermal pool
A 13-foot-wide hot pool formed over the winter in one of Yellowstone’s most active areas, and it could offer new insights into the park's ever-changing geothermal systems.
A bison roams in front of Castle Geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park, Mont., on Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
A new hydrothermal pool has been discovered in Yellowstone National Park, an area world-renowned for its geysers, hot springs and steamy terrain.
"Geologists from Yellowstone National Park were conducting routine maintenance of temperature logging stations at Norris Geyser Basin—their first such visit to the area since the previous fall," the U.S. Gological Survey (USGS) said. "When what to their wondering eyes did appear, but a blue water spring that was new since last year!"
The USGS confirmed the latest hydrothermal feature in the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin. It likely formed after a series of mildly explosive events between late December 2024 and early February 2025.
The pool measures about 13 feet across and is surrounded by rocks and white silica mud, which were likely ejected during the pool’s eruptive formation.
A new thermal pool in the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park. The pool developed over the winter months and is about 13 feet across. (USGS/Mike Poland).
Yellowstone is home to more than 10,000 thermal features, drawing visitors from around the world. While some, like Old Faithful, are well documented and studied, others, like this newly formed pool, can help scientists better understand the complexity of the park’s geothermal systems.
"Change is the most reliable constant in a hydrothermally evolving landscape like that of Yellowstone, so understanding where future thermal areas may develop is important information for managing park resources and focusing scientific observation," the USGS said.
Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the world. It is famous for its geothermal attractions, like the Old Faithful geyser. The park’s got a secret, a volcanic secret!
To help forecast where new geysers, vents or pools may form, scientists are now using machine learning tools to analyze patterns in heat flow, seismic activity and underground structures.
"In addition to providing a potential tool to forecast where new hydrothermal areas may develop in Yellowstone in the future, these machine learning approaches might also provide information about the geologic conditions that drive hydrothermal circulation in general," the USGS explained.
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