Scientists have issued a warning that a massive volcano in Alaska is on the brink of eruption. Mount Spurr, an 11,000-foot-tall volcano on the Cook Inlet about 75 miles from Anchorage, has a 50-50 chance of spewing out hot magma and ash that could be toxic for humans to breathe, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warned in a code yellow advisory.
A spokesperson for AVO said: “We expect to see additional seismic activity, gas emissions, and surface heating, as well as changes to surface deformation prior to an eruption, if one were to occur. Such stronger unrest may provide days to a few weeks of additional warning, but that is not certain.”
The ice- and snow-covered stratovolcano has seen an unusually high number of tiny earthquakes in the past 10 months, AVO said. Fears of activity surged among scientists after the earthquakes became even more frequent in recent months, reports Express US.
The new magma underneath the volcano is likely the cause, AVO added. AVO explained that the “duration and nature of the unrest suggests that an eruption is possible,” adding that it would most likely occur at the Crater Peak vent.
The last time that site erupted was in 1992 and 1953, according to AVO. It is not likely that an eruption would occur at the Spurr summit, which has not been active for several thousand years.
“Past Crater Peak eruptions were often explosive, and far-traveled ash clouds and ashfall can be expected if an eruption occurs,” AVO said Anchorage is the largest city in the state, boasting about 300,000 people, who are potentially at risk.
Scientists are also predicting that a colossal underwater volcano, the Axial Seamount, could be on the verge of eruption. Located around 300 miles off the Oregon coast in the US, this mammoth natural structure is over a mile long, stands 1,000 meters tall and lies less than a mile beneath the Pacific Ocean’s surface.
Indications of activity such as swelling and rumbling have been observed, leading experts to believe an eruption may be imminent. “This particular volcano is probably the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world,” said Mike Poland from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, as reported by the Cowboy State Daily.
The Axial Seamount, notorious for its eruptions in 1998, 2011, and 2015, is under close watch. Chadwick added: “So, if it’s not erupting, it’s inflating and getting ready for the next one. And so that’s why we’re kind of monitoring what’s happening to it all the time.”