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Off the coast of Oregon and thousands of feet below the Pacific Ocean's surface
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an underwater volcano is showing signs it could erupt for the first time in 10 years
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At the University of Washington, scientists are studying what's known as an Axel C-mount
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It's like a gateway for UW's Cabled Array, an undersea observatory that gives researchers
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a rare look into the Earth's geology. Inside the College of the Environment is one of the
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world's largest underwater observatories, sensors stretch across the ocean floor, sending real-time data, including images and live video, giving scientists a clearer view
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of what's happening deep below the surface. Axel Seamount isn't a typical volcano. It sits above
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what's called a hotspot, where heat from inside the Earth pushes up toward the crust
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As the Earth's surface slowly shifts, that hotspot doesn't move. Instead, a trail of volcanoes continue to form. At the end of 2024, researchers warn that the underwater
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volcano off the Pacific Northwest could erupt by late 2025, raising the question, could its release
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pose a threat on land? UW researchers say there's little need to worry. Because the volcano is deep
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underwater, the chances of it triggering a tsunami or earthquake are low. Unlike land volcanoes
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this eruption isn't expected to cause widespread damage. It's too deep underwater and too far
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offshore for most people in the Pacific Northwest to even notice. The Axel C-mount has erupted three
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times in recorded history in 1998, 2011, and 2015. While there's no exact timeline for the next
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eruption, scientists hope to catch it in action using their underwater cameras. For Straight Arrow
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News. I'm Kaylee Carey. For more fact-based unbiased reporting, visit san.com or download
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the Straight Air News mobile app
