Scientists are monitoring a huge volcano in Alaska that is ‘moving closer to eruption’ as its unrest continues this week.
Mount Spurr, a 11,000-foot-tall volcano that sits just 81 miles from the state’s largest city, has experienced increased seismic activity, ground-surface displacement and gas emissions, all of which are signs of an impending eruption.
Seismic activity near Mount Spurr kicked off in April 2024, and the rate of events increased from an average of 30 per week to an average of 125 per week in early October.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) has detected hundreds of small tremors in the past few days in the 30-mile radius of the volcano.
On Wednesday, a larger magnitude 3.7 quake struck near Petersville at 11:44am, about 30 miles north-west of Mount Spurr.
This quake hit 65 miles below the surface – an earthquake depth that would typically be associated with tectonic plate movement.
But since Mount Spurr is showing signs of unrest, the quake may be linked to magma rising from deeper in the Earth’s mantle.
Scientists estimate an eruption could happen in the next few weeks or months.
Scientists warn Mount Spurr in Alaska could erupt within the next few weeks or months. It last erupted in 1992 (pictured)
Wednesday’s magnitude 3.7 quake struck seven hours after a 2.5 magnitude quake hit in the same area.
These were preceded by a magnitude 3.0 detected on Monday at 6:56pm a few miles away.
Smaller quakes may have also occurred, but the USGS only shows quakes of magnitude 2.5 or higher on the main earthquake dashboard.
On March 7, the volcano began releasing elevated levels of gas from its summit and a side vent that last erupted more than 30 years ago.
The emissions combined with the increased seismic activity and ground deformation has put scientists on alert.
Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2 last week, which means that they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols.
An eruption would most likely occur at the Crater Peak side vent, and ‘it would be explosive,’ Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) of the USGS told DailyMail.com.
This event would spew multiple plumes of ash rising as high as 50,000 feet into the air, Haney said.
An eruption from this massive stratovolcano could cover the city of Anchorage, home to nearly 300,000 people, in a layer of ash
Each ash-producing explosive episode would last three to four hours, and the resulting cloud could blanket the city of Anchorage and other nearby communities in a thick layer of dust.
The eruption would also produce destructive mudslides and avalanches of volcanic debris that race down the volcano’s sides at over 200 miles per hour, ‘but fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected,’ Haney said.
The last time Mount Spurr erupted was in 1992, and scientists said the imminent explosion would probably be similar to that event.
The volcano covered the entire city of Anchorage in an eighth of an inch of ash during this eruption.
The skies darkened in the middle of the day due to the enormous cloud of dust and gas blotting out the sun, and the city’s airport was forced to shut down for 20 hours.
Crater Peak then erupted two more times, once in August and again in September.
The Municipality of Anchorage reported nearly $2million in damages, office closures and cleanup costs from the August eruption, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
No one was killed by these events directly. But two heart attacks, one fatal, from shoveling ashfall were reported in Anchorage.
Breathing in ash also poses a health hazards. The tiny particles can work their way deep into the lungs, worsening symptoms for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis.
If Mount Spurr’s activity continues to ramp up, the next sign of an eruption will be a volcanic tremor, Haney warned.