A team of scientists monitoring the Axial undersea volcano off Oregon’s coast believes it may erupt as early as this year, with a predicted timeline of 2025. The Axial seamount, located 300 miles west of Cannon Beach, is known to erupt regularly and has recently shown signs of activity after a period of quiet between 2015 and 2023.
According to William Chadwick, a geologist at Oregon State University, the volcano’s surface has risen to 95% of its pre-2015 level due to moving magma. This inflation was accompanied by swarms of small earthquakes, which have stabilized since mid-2024. While an eruption does not seem imminent, it cannot be ruled out forever.
Chadwick and his co-author Scott Nooner suspect that the volcano will erupt before the end of 2025, citing Axial’s recent history of eruptions over two decades as a promising location to study volcanic patterns. Researchers are hopeful that their prediction is correct, as it would provide valuable insights into how volcanoes work.
Valerio Acocella, a volcanologist at Roma Tre University, notes that making predictions about volcanoes is challenging and there’s no “crystal ball” to predict exactly when an eruption will occur. However, studying well-monitored volcanoes like Axial can help researchers make longer-term predictions at other volcanoes around the world.
The Axial observatory, established in 2001, has provided a unique opportunity for scientists to monitor the volcano’s activity and understand its behavior. The team’s prediction is based on years of data collected from the observatory, which will continue to play a crucial role in predicting future eruptions.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/undersea-volcano-off-oregon-coast-could-erupt-this-year-geologists-predict