Massive underwater volcano off Oregon coast poised for eruption
Deep in the Pacific Ocean, about 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, the Axial Seamount—one of the world’s most closely studied underwater volcanoes—is showing signs of an imminent eruption.
Axial Seamount, located roughly 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, is not a typical volcano.
It rises from an underwater geological hotspot, where heat from Earth's mantle pushes molten rock toward the surface, forming a towering structure nearly 3,600 feet high.
But what sets Axial apart from similar underwater mountains is its position atop the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Here, two enormous tectonic plates—the Pacific and the Juan de Fuca—slowly spread apart. This constant movement builds pressure deep beneath the ocean floor, fueling regular volcanic activity and making Axial one of the ocean’s most closely studied volcanic sites.
Scientists from the University of Washington closely track Axial Seamount through an advanced network of underwater sensors called the Regional Cabled Array. This system delivers real-time data on seismic activity, temperature changes, and even live video streams from the volcano’s surface.
Marine geophysicist William Wilcock, who studies Axial’s behavior, notes that the volcano typically gives clear signals before an eruption. As magma pushes upward, small earthquakes multiply around the seamount. Right now, about 200 to 300 tremors occur each day—significantly fewer than the thousands expected before an eruption. However, Wilcock warns the situation can change rapidly.
"I would say it was going to erupt sometime later this year or early 2026," Wilcock said. "But it could be tomorrow because it’s completely unpredictable."
When Axial Seamount erupted last in April 2015, scientists watched closely as about 10,000 small earthquakes signaled the start. The eruption lasted around a month, spilling lava across 25 miles of ocean floor. Each eruption reshapes the seafloor dramatically, often collapsing sections of the volcano's magma chamber and forming a crater known as a caldera.
Debbie Kelley, who directs the monitoring program, describes eruptions at Axial as mild compared to land-based volcanoes. "You won’t see ash clouds above water or anything dramatic," she said. "It’s like if you put a mile of seawater on top of Kilauea volcano."
Instead, lava quietly oozes from cracks in the seafloor, rapidly cooling into new rock formations. Still, deep-water eruptions produce distinctive sounds scientists detect with underwater microphones.
"When seawater gets trapped beneath a lava flow, it heats up, turns to steam, and eventually bursts," Wilcock explained. "That creates loud implosions we hear clearly."
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