A submarine volcano 300 miles off the coast of Oregon could erupt for the first time since 2015, spewing “very fluid lava” into the sea where scientists were recently recording more than 1,000 daily earthquakes.
Axial Seamount has exhibited increasing volcanic activity, with scientists able to measure the swelling of the underwater structure in the Pacific Ocean — indicating that the top could blow off with lava any time between now and the end of the year, NBC reported.
“This volcano is similar to ones in Hawaii that erupt very fluid lavas,” Bill Chadwick, volcanologist and research professor at Oregon State University, told the outlet.
“They tend to inflate like a balloon in between eruptions. At Axial, the sea floor is actually rising, and that’s a big signal.”
In 2015, Axial Seamount had a massive eruption that leaked out a surreal amount of magma, with one lava flow measuring 450 feet thick, the report stated.
“For reference, that’s about two-thirds the height of the Space Needle in Seattle,” Chadwick explained. “That’s a lot of lava.”
Despite the intensity of the explosion, the volcano poses no threat to humans.
Shockingly, the Axial Seamount, located 4,626 feet below sea level, is so deep underwater that an eruption may not even be noticeable from the waters just above, scientists said.
“Even if you were out on a boat right over the seamount when it’s erupting, you probably would never know it,” Chadwick told NBC News.
The underwater spewer is located between the two tectonic plates that are separating — which puts pressure on the seafloor, fueling volcanic activity.
Axial Seamount has erupted three times in the past 30 years — in 1998, 2011, and 2015.
The submarine volcano isn’t the only seismic activity West Coasters may have in store.
Hundreds of miles of Pacific Northwest coastline could tumble into the sea if the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an undersea fault line about 100 miles off the North American coast, is hit by “The Big One,” according to a recent study.
The 600-mile earthquake hotspot could see shorelines from northern California to Vancouver, Canada, sinking 6 feet or more.
Luckily, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is “located quite a distance away” from Axial Seamount, Forbes reported Friday — so there shouldn’t be fears of an Earth-shaking one-two punch.
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