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Mary Bay

Largest Documented Hydrothermal Explosion Crater

Bay on Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

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The largest hydrothermal-explosion crater documented in the world is along the north edge of Yellowstone Lake in an embayment known as Mary Bay. This 1.5-mile (2.6 km)-diameter crater formed about 13,800 years ago and may have had several separate explosions in a short time interval. What specifically triggered these very large events is not firmly established, but earthquakes or a pressure release caused by melting glaciers or rapid changes in lake level may have been a significant factor.

— USGS

Nearby Waterbodies

Pond in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Yellowstone Lake

Lake in Rocky Mountains, Molly Island, Stevenson Island, Peale Island, Dot Island in WY

Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Lake in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Lake Village, WY

Taxonomy

Geographic Places

Coastal Waterbody

Classified As

Waterbody

Yellowstone Lake

Mary Bay

Mary Bay

Mary Bay