The Axial Seamount underwater volcano near the Oregon coast could erupt soon, scientists have warned, following the detection of more earthquakes in the region.
About Axial Seamount:
It is an underwater volcano located about 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, United States, in the Pacific Ocean.
It is a shield volcano with a summit marked by a large caldera.
It rises to a depth of 1400 m below sea level.
It is formed by a hot spot, an area in the Earth’s mantle where hot plumes of molten material rise into the crust.
It is located on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the boundary between the Pacific and Juan de Fuca tectonic plates.
The volcano is home to hydrothermal vents, underwater hot springs where seawater is heated by magma and ejected in mineral-rich plumes.
These vents support diverse marine life, including microbes that use volcanic gases for energy, forming the basis of an ecosystem that includes giant tubeworms, spider crabs, clams, fish and octopuses.
It is the most active submarine volcano in the northeast Pacific, with known eruptions in 1998, 2011, and 2015.
While Axial Seamount’s eruptions are not dangerous to people on land, they offer valuable opportunities for scientific observation.
It is part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and hosts the world’s first underwater volcanic observatory called New Millennium Observatory (NeMO).
NeMO provides real-time data originating from Axial through a variety of undersea cables to a shore station in Pacific City, Oregon.
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