Alaskan Volcano Likely to Erupt in the Next Weeks or Months, Experts Warn

Accurately predicting when a volcano will erupt is nearly impossible, but Alaska’s Mount Spurr is sending clear warning signs to volcanologists. Experts at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warn that Mount Spurr—a snow-covered volcano 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Anchorage—is likely to experience an explosive eruption in the coming weeks or months, according to an AVO statement posted Wednesday to the U.S. Geological Survey’s website. Though volcanologists expect to see increased gas, seismic, and heat activity leading up to the potential event, the volcano could also explode without further warning. Scientists first noticed volcanic unrest at Mount Spurr in April last year, when they detected an unexpected number of earthquakes beneath the volcano, according to an earlier AVO statement. Between April and early October, the volcano averaged 30 earthquakes per week. From early October to early February, that number jumped to 125 per week, though in the past month the weekly ra ... Read full article.