A human foot with its shoe still inside was discovered in one of Yellowstone National Park’s gushing hot springs. Nobody knows how the body part wound up in the geothermal feature, but park officials are looking into it.
According to a Yellowstone National Park release, the unique circumstance began on Tuesday, August 16, when a park staffer noticed the foot floating in the Abyss Pool, which is located west of the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake in the park’s south. Following the discovery, the surrounding area and parking lot were temporarily closed to the public, but have since reopened.
The Abyss Pool hot spring is a geothermal pool that is 16 meters (53 feet) deep and can reach temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). The hot springs are formed by rainfall trickling into the bedrock and being superheated by the magmatic system deep underneath Yellowstone. This hot water then rises to the surface, settling in these very acidic pools.
It’s currently unknown how the human foot got here. Yellowstone National Park officials are investigating the incident and have disclosed only little information to the public.
“According to the evidence gathered thus far, an event involving one person occurred in Abyss Pool on the morning of July 31, 2022. The park currently believes there was no foul play. The inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death is ongoing “Yellowstone National Park made the announcement in a statement.
Yellowstone is full of natural dangers, including as bears, wolves, elk, and bison, which have been known to attack people if a safe distance is not maintained. According to Yellowstone’s website, hot springs have harmed or killed more people than any other natural feature.
A man fell into one of Yellowstone’s many hot springs in 2016, and his body was completely dissolved in a single day. The 23-year-old died moments after entering the boiling water. Later that day, he was discovered dead and floating about the pool, but efforts to recover his body were thwarted by a thunderstorm. When they returned the next day, all that was left was his wallet and his flip-flops.
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