Latest news with #MichaelPoland
Fox News
4 days ago
- Science
- Fox News
Horrified tourists watch as bison boils to death in Yellowstone hot spring
Tourists at Yellowstone National Park witnessed a bison's tragic death on June 21, when the animal fell into the near-boiling waters of the Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin, near Old Faithful. A witness who posted photos of the incident on social media said the bison took a few steps into a shallow area before turning around and stepping out quickly. The animal then apparently paused before turning back and stepping into a deeper area, where it became trapped and was unable to free itself. "Unfortunately, I witnessed the bison drowning in the Grand Prismatic Springs early yesterday morning. It took a few steps into a shallow area to the right of the pool, it turned around and stepped out very quickly. It stood for a moment, then turned back towards the spring and stepped into a deeper section then couldn't get out despite trying its best. I have a video of it coming up to take its last breath but it's a tough watch," Louise Howard wrote in a Facebook post with the photos. Howard told CBS News that "as hard as it tried, it couldn't get out." Michael Poland, the scientist-in-charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, told CBS News that while it is rare, it is not unheard of for animals to fall into hot springs. He said scientists have found skeletons at hot springs in the park. According to Poland, the bison died "very quickly" and most likely boiled to death. "This bison carcass is basically sitting in a pool of nearly boiling water, and ... that boiling water will eat away at the organic material, the tissues, and eventually there will just be some bone," Poland said, according to NBC News. The Grand Prismatic Spring is 300 feet wide, and its waters can reach up to 192 degrees Fahrenheit.
NBC News
5 days ago
- Science
- NBC News
Yellowstone bison dies after stumbling into near-boiling waters of popular hot spring
A bison in Yellowstone National Park appeared to stumble into the scalding water of Grand Prismatic Spring, causing its death as tourists looked on during the park's busiest season. The bison fell into the hot spring at Midway Geyser Basin near Old Faithful early Saturday, a spokesperson for Yellowstone said. It's not entirely clear exactly how or why the animal ended up in the hot spring, said Michael Poland, the scientist-in-charge at Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey. But after having seen video of the accident, Poland said it looked like the bison got too close, stumbled further into the water and thrashed around before it fell into an even hotter part of Grand Prismatic, causing its death. Poland said the bison died "fairly quickly," and he dispelled rumors that the spring's water is highly acidic, causing the animal to burn. Most hot springs are actually neutral, Poland said, but the temperatures are so extreme that the bison most likely boiled to death. Grand Prismatic is about 300 feet wide, and its temperatures reach 192 degrees Fahrenheit, Poland said. Boiling point at Yellowstone, because of its high altitude, is 200 degrees Fahrenheit. "This bison carcass is basically sitting in a pool of nearly boiling water, and ... that boiling water will eat away at the organic material, the tissues, and eventually there will just be some bone" leftover, he said. It's not the most uncommon of occurrences, Poland said. Often, animals will walk along the edges of hot springs. They can fall in because the crust surrounding the pool is thin and can break with enough weight. "It's possible something like that happened," he said. "Perhaps a little shelf that [the bison] was standing on collapsed and that exposed [it] to more hot water." Poland added: "But I can't say for sure." He noted that he has never heard of that happening at Grand Prismatic before. Scientists know it occurs at least from time to time, though, because animal skeletons can be found at hot springs around the park, many of which are in the backcountry, away from tourist activity, Poland said. What makes this case unique is that the bison died in Yellowstone's largest and most tourist-populated spring during the summer busy season. Katie Hirtzel was visiting Yellowstone National Park and witnessed the bison's death, she said on Facebook. She said watching the episode was "incredibly powerful and moving." "It was amazing to witness raw nature and the circle of life in front of our eyes like that," Hirtzel said. "It is going to be interesting to see how the park decides to move forward as scavengers are drawn to such a populated area." Poland said he sees it as a cautionary tale for humans visiting the park. He urged visitors to stay on the boardwalks — which are there for a reason — and not get too close. "It's amazing to go and visit these places in Yellowstone. They are spectacular," he said. "But this is why it's so important to stay on the boardwalks."
NBC News
6 days ago
- Climate
- NBC News
Bison dies after appearing to fall into popular Yellowstone hot spring
A bison in Yellowstone National Park appeared to stumble into the steaming hot waters of Grand Prismatic Spring, causing its death as tourists looked on during the park's busiest season. The bison fell into the hot spring at Midway Geyer Basin near Old Faithful early Saturday, a spokesperson for Yellowstone confirmed to NBC News. It's not entirely clear exactly how or why the bison ended up in the hot spring, said Michael Poland, the scientist-in-charge at Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey. But after observing video of the accident, Poland said it looked like the bison got too close to the spring, stumbled further into the scalding water and then appeared to thrash around before falling into an even hotter part of Grand Prismatic, causing its death. Poland said the bison died "fairly quickly," and dispelled rumors that the spring's water is highly acidic, causing the animal to burn. Most hot springs are actually neutral, Poland explained, but the temperatures are so extreme that the bison likely boiled to its own death. Grand Prismatic is about 300 feet wide and its temperatures reach 192 degrees Fahrenheit, Poland said. Boiling point at Yellowstone, because of its high altitude, is 200 degrees Fahrenheit. "This bison carcass is basically sitting in a pool of nearly boiling water, and ... that boiling water will eat away at the organic material, the tissues, and eventually there will just be some bone" leftover, Poland said. It's not the most uncommon of occurrences, Poland said. Often, animals will walk along the edge of hot springs. In most instances, animals fall in because the crust surrounding the pool is thinner than it appears and can break with enough weight. "It's possible something like that happened," Poland said. "Perhaps a little shelf that [the bison] was standing on collapsed and that exposed [it] to more hot water." Poland added: "But I can't say for sure." He noted that he's never heard of this happening at Grand Prismatic before, and said it's not entirely clear just how often it happens. Scientists know it occurs at least from time to time, though, because animal skeletons can be found at hot springs around the park, many of which are in the backcountry, away from tourist activity, Poland said. What makes this case unique is the fact that the bison died in the largest and most tourist-populated spring in the park during the summer busy season. Katie Hirtzel was visiting Yellowstone National Park and witnessed the bison's demise, according to her post on Facebook. She said watching the entire episode was "incredibly powerful and moving." "It was amazing to witness raw nature and the circle of life in front of our eyes like that," Hirtzel said. "It is going to be interesting to see how the park decides to move forward as scavengers are drawn to such a populated area." Poland said he sees this as a cautionary tale for humans visiting the park. He said visitors should stay on the boardwalks — which are there for a reason — and not get too close. "It's amazing to go and visit these places in Yellowstone. They are spectacular," Poland said. "But this is why it's so important to stay on the boardwalks."
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Steam and debris erupt again at Yellowstone thermal pool, webcam shows
A small hydrothermal eruption was captured on camera at Yellowstone National Park last weekend at the same site where a massive explosion destroyed a section of boardwalk last summer. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the eruption occurred at 8:39 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 31, at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, just north of Old Faithful. It was recorded by a newly installed webcam set up on May 14 to monitor activity at the site. "It is likely that these small eruptions are a result of the hydrothermal plumbing system for the pool adjusting after the major disruption of the larger explosion last summer," USGS Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland told USA TODAY. Hydrothermal explosions occur when superheated water rapidly turns to steam underground, triggering sudden bursts of steam, rock and debris. The July 2024 explosion at the same pool scattered boulders, destroyed nearby infrastructure and altered the shape of the pool itself. No injuries were reported. As of June 3, the parking lot and boardwalk at Biscuit Basin remain closed due to continued risk of hydrothermal activity.
Indianapolis Star
04-06-2025
- Climate
- Indianapolis Star
Video captures small eruption at Yellowstone pool, 1 year after dangerous blast
A newly-installed webcam captured a hydrothermal eruption at Yellowstone National Park, less than a year after a sizeable explosion destroyed the same area. The webcam captured a small eruption at Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin − just north of Old Faithful − at 8:39 p.m. MDT on May 31, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The webcam was installed on May 14 as a way to track hydrothermal activity at Black Diamond Pool following a dangerously large explosion at the site in July 2024. Though the May 31 eruption is the only one caught on official video, the USGS has received several reports of other sporadic eruptions over the past year. "It is likely that these small eruptions are a result of the hydrothermal plumbing system for the pool adjusting after the major disruption of the larger explosion last summer," USGS Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland told USA TODAY. Previously: A baffling, dangerous explosion in Yellowstone: What is a hydrothermal explosion? A hydrothermal explosion occurs when hot water in a volcano system turns into steam in a confined area. A sudden drop in pressure causes rapid expansion of the high-temperature fluids and a crater-forming eruption. A larger, more dangerous hydrothermal explosion occurred at Biscuit Basin on July 23, 2024, sending steam and debris hundreds of feet in the area. A nearby boardwalk was destroyed and some of the rocks near the explosion site weighed hundreds of pounds, according to the National Park Service. Although visitors were at the basin during the explosion, no injuries were reported. As a result of the explosion, Black Diamond Pool changed shape, the National Park Service reported. As of June 3, the parking lot and boardwalk at Biscuit Basin remained closed due to the possibility of another hydrothermal event, the National Park Service's website stated. No. Livestreaming is not supported at Black Diamond Pool. However, video is recorded on-site and new images are posted on the U.S. Geological Survey website every 15 minutes. Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY
