Scientists have spotted a key sign that one of America’s most dangerous volcanoes is about to erupt.
Mount Spurr, which is located in a remote part of Alaska, last erupted back in 1992 but now is showing signs that it could be due to erupt again soon.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has been closely monitoring its recent activity and believes that an eruption is more likely to happen than not.
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In fact, experts think the event could happen within the next three weeks and there is a key sign that they have noticed.
Plumes of steam have been seen billowing out of the volcano but that’s not all, other signs have been spotted too.
The AVO wrote: “The increase in gas emissions confirms that new magma has intruded into the Earth’s crust beneath the volcano and indicates that an eruption is likely, but not certain, to occur within the next few weeks or months.”
Speaking to Alaska Public Media, Matt Haney, who is the scientist in charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said: “It’s almost like we have a checklist of the usual signs that volcanoes give us before they progress to an eruption, and now we’re seeing all four of those are giving us those indicators.”
While it isn’t clear yet if an eruption will definitely happen at all, scientists now believe that it's’ more likely to happen than not.
Haney continued: “We haven’t quantified what that is in terms of a percentage but it is judged to be higher likelihood than this unrest dissipating.”
In a post on Facebook, the AVO issued a warning to Alaskan residents on the risks of volcanic activity in the area, advising them on how to stay safe in the event of an eruption.
The organization wrote: “The major hazards to Alaska residents from Spurr would be from ash risk to aviation and possible ashfall.
“The other hazards from a Mount Spurr eruption would only affect the areas immediately surrounding the volcano.
“While there are no residents in the identified hazard areas for pyroclastic flows and lahars, people do visit the area for recreational or subsistence purposes.”
While it’s not known how much warning we’ll get before the eruption, scientists use a color code to label how soon a volcano is likely to erupt.
If a volcano has a ‘yellow’ warning, this means that there has been signs of increased unrest and it has an advisory status.
Above that is orange, which means it is more imminent but only posing a limited hazard to people in the area.
If a volcano is given a red warning, this means that a hazardous eruption is either imminent or already underway.
There’s no telling just yet whether Mount Spurr is currently rated as Level of Concern Color Code Yellow.