Alaska volcano researchers say seismic activity around Mount Spurr has continued to decline over the last month, but the closest active volcano to the state’s population centers could still erupt.
In March, officials with the Alaska Volcano Observatory noted an increase in gas emissions at Spurr, about 80 miles west of Anchorage. At the time, they said an eruption was likely to occur within weeks or months. However, in mid-April, volcanic activity at Spurr started to decrease. Volcanic geologist Kristy Wallace said that downward trend in activity has continued.
“We think that that magma has stalled,” Wallace said. “So it just isn't moving, meaning we're not seeing earthquakes that reflect movement, and we're not seeing any deformation. So that pause continues.”
Wallace emphasized that the volcano is still at a yellow alert level, indicating that volcanic activity at Spurr is well above normal and an eruption is still possible. She says current activity at Spurr is similar to 2004 and 2005, when it reached yellow level but ultimately didn’t erupt. But she says there’s one important distinction with how this event unfolded.
“The big difference is that we saw a lot of earthquakes right under Crater Peak, and that's what got us really concerned,” Wallace said. “And that's why there was a lot of preparedness in the community across Southcentral Alaska. Because that type of activity resulted in an eruption in 1992 and we didn't want to be short sighted and not let our community know about that.”
Wallace says signs of a pending eruption would include an increase in gas emissions, deformation of the peak and a rise in shallow earthquakes near the volcano.
You can monitor updates to Mount Spurr’s activity at the Alaska Volcano Observatory website.
