Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
Researchers have issued a warning**: the most active undersea volcano in the Pacific Northwest could explode at any moment. This potentially imminent eruption may significantly impact ocean topography within the region.
Locating the Axial Seamount
The Axial Seamount, situated 300 miles off Oregon’s coast and over 4,900 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean, stands approximately a mile wide, making it one of the region’s most notable submarine geological features.
Signs of an Impending Axial Seamount Eruption
Key Indicators
Experts monitoring the volcano have noted a critical precursor: the seafloor’s expansion.
This expansion suggests a buildup of magma beneath the surface, as highlighted by geophysicist William Wilcock of the University of Washington. The seafloor has already reached the inflation level observed before the 2015 eruption.
Predicting the Eruption
Some researchers hypothesize that the degree of inflation can forecast when the volcano will erupt,
Wilcock stated. This suggests it could potentially erupt at any moment, assuming the hypothesis holds true.
Should the **optimal eruption** transpire, it will pose no threat to human populations. The volcano’s depth and distance from the shore ensure no detectable impact on terrestrial communities or seismic activity on land, experts assert.
However Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, expresses enthusiasm about the anticipated eruption. He notes that the **Axial Seamount** is among the world’s most extensively monitored submarine volcanoes. Poland described it as:
This specific volcano ranks among the world’s best-monitored submarine volcanoes.Given its characteristic of calm effusive lava flows, similar to Hawaiian lava flow eruptions, it is devoid of explosive tendencies, offering a unique and non hazardous opportunity for geological research.
Historical Activity and Monitoring
The **Axial Seamount**, found along the **Juan de Fuca Ridge**, is a young shield volcano characterized by its broad, low-lying profile.
The volcano’s explosive eruptions occurred in 1998, 2011, and 2015 have drawn attention to its relative frequency of eruptions. In his statement last year, Chadwick warned that the volcano was scheduled to erupt by the end of 2025.
Building Magma Pressure and its Effects
A significant increase in earthquake activity, with hundreds of tremors generated around the volcano daily and swarms of over 500 daily, can suggest that magma beneath the ocean floor is ascending towards the surface.
Later this year in December 2024, researchers shared their findings at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
The critical sign of an imminent eruption will be a dramatic escalation in earthquakes surrounding the Axial Seamount. The University of Washington’s College of the Environment employs an extensive array of sensors along the ocean floor and throughout the ocean waters to gather data and images, offering valuable insights into volcanic activity.
The data gathered will be essential for advancing forecasting capabilities not just for the **Axial Seamount** but also for other hazardous underwater volcanoes worldwide.
In January 2023, a catastrophic eruption of the Hunga underwater volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean generated a tsunami, causing extensive damage—approximately $90 billion.
The Pacific Northwest will not face similar repercussions from **Axial** however this eruption will facilitate an enhanced understanding of undersea volcanic activity and its potential risks.
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