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After a temporary closure, the Upper Terrace Drive in Mammoth Hot Springs is open once more to vehicle traffic.
The Drive was previously closed due to a new thermal feature that appeared right beside the road.
In the interim, crews put in place several Jersey Barriers around the perimeter and removed three parking places adjacent to the feature.
“The activity is changing and the thermal feature is evolving,” said park geologist Dr. Hank Heasler in a National Park Service Yellowstone news release. “The Jersey Barriers are a temporary measure to allow vehicle access to the Upper Terrace Drive while options are investigated.”
The thermal feature became active in May, and slowly spread to the edge of the pavement over the course of the summer. Last week, rangers and geologists studying the feature noticed water was coming up from underneath the pavement.
Officials drilled two holes 20 inches down to investigate; now, water is steaming up through one of the holes, at the rate of approximately one gallon a minute.
The feature is still being monitored at this time, but it poses no immediate inconvenience to Yellowstone National Park visitors. As of yet, it has not been given an official name.
