Axial Seamount

Scientists are closely monitoring the Axial Seamount volcano, which is expected to erupt for the first time in ten years.

About Axial Seamount

• Located roughly 300 miles off the Oregon coast in the Pacific Ocean, Axial Seamount is an underwater shield volcano characterized by a large caldera at its summit.
• The volcano is situated 1,400 meters beneath the ocean’s surface and is formed by a hotspot, where rising plumes of molten material from the Earth’s mantle penetrate the crust.
• Axial Seamount lies along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a tectonic boundary between the Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates.
• The volcano features hydrothermal vents—underwater hot springs where seawater is heated by magma and expelled as mineral-rich plumes. These vents provide a unique environment that supports diverse marine life, including microbes that use volcanic gases for energy, as well as giant tubeworms, spider crabs, clams, fish, and octopuses.
• As the most active submarine volcano in the northeast Pacific, Axial Seamount has erupted in 1998, 2011, and 2015. While its eruptions pose no threat to human populations, they present important opportunities for scientific research.
• It is a key part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and hosts NeMO, the world’s first underwater volcanic observatory.