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An underwater volcano located about 300 miles off Oregon’s coast is showing alarming signs that it’s about to erupt. Axial Seamount, which sits nearly a mile below the ocean’s surface, last blew its top in 2015.
Scientists have detected hundreds of earthquakes each day at the site over recent weeks. The volcano is also swelling steadily – another telltale sign that magma is building up beneath the surface.
This isn’t just any underwater volcano. It’s situated at a fascinating geological intersection.
“It’s pretty unusual,” explained William Wilcock, marine geophysicist and professor at the University of Washington School of Oceanography. “It’s a genuine hotspot, and the volcano itself is quite large, rising about 3600 feet above the seafloor. The summit, bisected by the Juan de Fuca Ridge, is marked by a large caldera [a type of crater formed by volcanic eruptions], where the magma chamber has collapsed during multiple eruptions. That combination of features, located right on top of a mid-ocean ridge, is not very common.”
The volcano sits on the Juan de Fuca Ridge where two massive tectonic plates – the Pacific and the Juan de Fuca – are constantly spreading apart. This ongoing geological process creates the perfect conditions for volcanic activity.
Bill Chadwick, a volcanologist and research professor at Oregon State University, has been monitoring the situation alongside colleagues from the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Despite the dramatic underwater activity, he reassures there’s no danger to people on land or even at sea.
“There’s no explosion or anything, so it would really have no impact on people. Even if you were out on a boat right over the seamount when it’s erupting, you probably would never know it,” Chadwick said.
A Cycle of Destruction and Rebirth
While humans remain safe, the same can’t be said for the unique ecosystem thriving around the volcano’s hydrothermal vents.
Previous eruptions in 1997 and 2011 decimated these communities with lava flows. However, these resilient ecosystems don’t stay down for long.
Debbie Kelley, director of the Regional Cabled Array and professor of marine geology and geophysics at the University of Washington, has observed something remarkable after past eruptions.
“I think it’s one of the biggest discoveries we’ve made,” Kelley stated. “Life thrives in these inhospitable environments, and volcanoes are probably one of the major sources of life in our oceans.”
Her team documented that just three months after devastating eruptions, these underwater communities were flourishing again – a testament to the adaptability of deep-sea life.
