Volcano off coast of Oregon could erupt soon — giving scientists a front-row seat to Earth’s forces
Posted: Thu May 01, 2025 3:17 pm
Volcano off coast of Oregon could erupt soon — giving scientists a front-row seat to Earth’s forces
A deep-sea volcano 300 miles off the Oregon coast is showing strong signs it may erupt soon, researchers at the University of Washington confirmed.
Axial Seamount, located more than 4,900 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, is one of the most active underwater volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest.
Although it’s far from shore and little known to the public, scientists say the looming eruption presents a rare opportunity to observe one of the Earth’s most important geologic processes — and it could happen before the end of 2025.
The volcano last erupted in 2015, and signs of increasing pressure beneath the seafloor have been steadily mounting.
Axial Seamount sits at the intersection of a mantle hotspot and the tectonically active Juan de Fuca Ridge, where two plates are slowly pulling apart.
That combination makes it a geological anomaly and a scientific goldmine.
The UW is home to the Regional Cabled Array (RCA), one of the largest underwater observatories in the world. Since 2014, RCA sensors have provided real-time data from the ocean floor, sending information and video from 150 instruments via fiber-optic cables stretching from the Oregon coast to Axial Seamount.
“It’s a genuine hotspot, and the volcano itself is quite large,” said William Wilcock, a UW oceanography professor. “It rises about 3,600 feet above the seafloor, and its summit is marked by a large caldera, formed by previous eruptions.”
The RCA’s constant monitoring revealed that Axial Seamount has been inflating — a sign that magma is building beneath the crust. Scientists say it has already surpassed the inflation observed ahead of the 2015 eruption.
“We’re seeing 200 to 300 earthquakes per day,” said Deborah Kelley, UW oceanography professor and director of the RCA. “We expect that to jump above 2,000 daily before an eruption, based on what we saw last time.”
Despite public concerns, experts stress the volcano poses no danger to people on land.
At such depths, there is no threat of tsunamis or regional earthquakes.
Click on the link for the full article
A deep-sea volcano 300 miles off the Oregon coast is showing strong signs it may erupt soon, researchers at the University of Washington confirmed.
Axial Seamount, located more than 4,900 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, is one of the most active underwater volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest.
Although it’s far from shore and little known to the public, scientists say the looming eruption presents a rare opportunity to observe one of the Earth’s most important geologic processes — and it could happen before the end of 2025.
The volcano last erupted in 2015, and signs of increasing pressure beneath the seafloor have been steadily mounting.
Axial Seamount sits at the intersection of a mantle hotspot and the tectonically active Juan de Fuca Ridge, where two plates are slowly pulling apart.
That combination makes it a geological anomaly and a scientific goldmine.
The UW is home to the Regional Cabled Array (RCA), one of the largest underwater observatories in the world. Since 2014, RCA sensors have provided real-time data from the ocean floor, sending information and video from 150 instruments via fiber-optic cables stretching from the Oregon coast to Axial Seamount.
“It’s a genuine hotspot, and the volcano itself is quite large,” said William Wilcock, a UW oceanography professor. “It rises about 3,600 feet above the seafloor, and its summit is marked by a large caldera, formed by previous eruptions.”
The RCA’s constant monitoring revealed that Axial Seamount has been inflating — a sign that magma is building beneath the crust. Scientists say it has already surpassed the inflation observed ahead of the 2015 eruption.
“We’re seeing 200 to 300 earthquakes per day,” said Deborah Kelley, UW oceanography professor and director of the RCA. “We expect that to jump above 2,000 daily before an eruption, based on what we saw last time.”
Despite public concerns, experts stress the volcano poses no danger to people on land.
At such depths, there is no threat of tsunamis or regional earthquakes.
Click on the link for the full article