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A map of bathymetry\u2014or underwater topography\u2014of Axial Seamount, an active volcano some 300 miles off the coast of Oregon. Oregon\u2019s most active underwater volcano could erupt this year, according to a prediction recently shared by scientists. The Axial Seamount, located 300 miles from the state\u2019s coast and one mile beneath the Pacific Ocean\u2019s surface, has been swelling at a steady rate for the past six months, with seismic activity totaling hundreds of earthquakes per day, according to an Oregon State University blog<\/a> that chronicles eruption predictions of the sea volcano.<\/p>\n In November, scientists were tipped off about the possibility of an imminent explosion when Axial\u2019s surface swelled to nearly the same height it had risen to in 2015\u2014just before it last erupted. When this so-called ballooning happens, it usually means magma is pooling underground and pressure in the surrounding area is increasing, reports Rachel Berkowitz of Science News<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Researchers presented the latest seismic and inflation results<\/a> on the volcano last month at the American Geophysical Union conference in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n The scientists\u2019 prediction shouldn\u2019t be taken as a sign to panic\u2014the volcano doesn\u2019t pose a threat to people. But from a research perspective, this offers an ideal scenario to experiment with prediction techniques.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople\u2019s lives aren\u2019t in the equation,\u201d Bill Chadwick<\/a>, a volcanologist at Oregon State University who is leading the research, tells Gosia Wozniacka of the Oregonian<\/a><\/em>. \u201cOn land, you can\u2019t do this forecasting without worrying about false alarms and freaking people out and having economic impacts. You don\u2019t want to evacuate towns and all that without knowing for sure that you need to.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, he adds, the Axial Seamount is \u201ca great natural laboratory\u201d for studying undersea eruptions and volcanic forecasting. For the time being, reliable predictions about volcanic eruptions are rarely possible more than a few days in advance, according to the Smithsonian\u2019s Global Volcanism Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Studying Submarine Volcanoes<\/p>\n
\n NOAA<\/span>
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