Scientists predict that the Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano located 300 miles off the Oregon coast, may erupt later this year, but it poses no threat to land or seismic stability.
The Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano situated more than 4,900 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean and 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, is exhibiting signs that it could erupt later this year. This would mark the first eruption since 2015, according to scientists from the University of Washington’s College of the Environment.
The volcano is formed by a geological phenomenon known as a hot spot, where hot plumes of molten material rise from the Earth’s mantle into the crust. As tectonic plates move over this stationary hot spot, it results in the formation of long chains of volcanoes over time.
“Over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface was formed by volcanic eruptions at these mid-ocean ridges,” said Maya Tolstoy, a marine geophysicist and dean of the university’s College of the Environment. “Axial Seamount is a direct result of these fundamental processes that continue to shape our planet today.”
Despite the potential for an eruption, scientists have reassured the public that there is no cause for alarm. “Axial Seamount is much too deep and far from shore for people on land to even notice when it erupts,” the blog post states. “An eruption at Axial Seamount also has nothing to do with seismic activity on land, so Pacific Northwesterners don’t need to worry about this event triggering a major earthquake or tsunami.”
The initial indication of an impending eruption will be a significant increase in the number of earthquakes in the vicinity of the volcano. “The volcano has already surpassed the inflation we observed in 2015, but the earthquake activity is still quite low,” said Deborah Kelley, a professor at the UW School of Oceanography and director of the Regional Cabled Array. “We’re seeing 200 to 300 earthquakes per day, with some spikes around 1,000 per day due to the tides. If what we learned in 2015 is correct, I would expect to see more than 2,000 per day for a few months before the eruption.”
These earthquakes are caused by magma moving toward the surface. “That period lasts about an hour, and then the magma reaches the surface,” explained William Wilcock, a professor at the UW School of Oceanography. “Lava flows spread across the caldera, and lava-filled fissures open up to the north or the south, reaching as far as 40 kilometers (about 25 miles).”
Following the eruption, seismic activity tends to decrease quickly over the next few days, although the eruption itself may continue at a slower pace for about a month.
As scientists continue to monitor the situation, they emphasize that the eruption of Axial Seamount is a natural geological process that will not impact the safety of those living on land.
For further details, refer to the University of Washington’s College of the Environment.