Mile-wide volcano set to erupt off the West Coast this year as scientists reveal 'balloon keeps getting bigger'
Mile-wide volcano set to erupt off the West Coast this year as scientists reveal 'balloon keeps getting bigger'
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Axial Seamount, a massive underwater volcano located nearly 300 miles off the Oregon coast, is showing signs of an imminent eruption. This 3,600-foot-tall volcano, which spans 1.25 miles across and sits 4,626 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean's surface, is currently experiencing significant swelling and rumbling, indicating a buildup of magma.
![[The volcano rising 3,600 feet tall sits 4,626 feet beneath the ocean's surface]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/27/02/94391539-14310167-The_volcano_rising_3_600_feet_tall_sits_4_626_feet_beneath_the_o-a-37_1737945338520.jpg)
Volcanologists predict an eruption before the end of 2025, but despite its activity, scientists remain unconcerned. Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, expressed excitement about this event, highlighting Axial Seamount as one of the world's best-monitored submarine volcanoes.
![[Volcanologists predict an eruption before the end of 2025, but despite its activity, scientists remain unconcerned]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/14/94391547-14310167-image-a-4_1737556449655.jpg)
'This particular volcano is probably the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world,' he told Cowboy State Daily. 'It's fascinating and doesn't really pose a hazard.'. Situated along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a chain of undersea volcanoes extending between Oregon and Alaska, Axial Seamount is a young shield volcano - a broader volcano with a low profile.
![[Situated along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a chain of undersea volcanoes extending between Oregon and Alaska , Axial Seamount is a young shield volcano]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/17/94398335-14310167-Geography_of_the_underwater_volcano_Axial_Seamount_located_in_th-a-4_1737565224047.jpg)
Its resemblance to Mauna Loa, Earth's largest active volcano, and the typical non-explosive nature of shield volcano eruptions, lessens the concern among volcanologists about the imminent eruption. 'When Axial Seamount erupts, it'll look a lot like a Hawaiian lava flow eruption,' he said. 'It's not an explosive eruption, but calm effusions of lava flowing out of the caldera and across the seafloor.'.
![[Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, said Axial Seamount is 'the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/17/94364615-14310167-Mike_Poland_a_scientist_at_the_Yellowstone_Volcano_Observatory_s-a-2_1737565224046.jpg)
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