Alaska’s Mount Spurr, located about 80 miles northwest of Anchorage, is expected to erupt in the coming weeks or months.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory said that during recent overflights, AVO “measured significantly elevated volcanic gas emissions from Mount Spurr volcano.”
“Newly reactivated fumaroles (gas vents) were also seen at the volcano’s Crater Peak vent. Elevated earthquake activity and ground deformation continue,” AVO said. The organization noted that the increase in gas “confirms that new magma has intruded into the Earth’s crust beneath the volcano and indicates that an eruption is likely, but not certain, to occur within the next few weeks or months.”
Scientists expect an “explosive eruption” similar to those in 1953 and 1992. “Those eruptions each lasted a few hours and produced ash clouds that were carried downwind for hundreds of miles and minor ashfall (up to about ¼ inch) on southcentral Alaska communities,” AVO explained.
In a February 6 report, AVO indicated that new magma beneath the volcano is likely causing seismic activity.
Hawaii’s Mount Kilauea, the state’s most active volcano, is also showing signs of increased unrest.
As of December 2024, seismic activity at the summit has risen from 10 to 20 earthquakes per day, most occurring within the caldera, the volcano’s mouth, and its southern region. Most of these tremors registered below a magnitude of 2.1, according to the USGS. The unrest extends to Kilauea’s rift zones. The upper Southwest Rift Zone recorded 25 minor earthquakes in the last two days, while the upper East Rift Zone experienced 25 to 60 daily quakes over the same period.
