ALASKA IS READY TO BLOW

Alaska’s Mount Spurr is about to erupt.

That’s the current message from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Continued unrest at the volcano roughly 75 miles west of Anchorage within the Tordrillo Mountains leads officials to warn residents of an impending eruption. The group wrote in an update that it is “monitoring activity at Mount Spurr for signals indicating that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption.”

Uncertainty continues at the volcano, as seismic activity “remained elevated with numerous small, shallow volcanic earthquakes detected beneath the volcano.” Still, the eruption may not come immediately. Based on previous eruptions, experts said they expect to see additional ground deformation and fumarolic activity as the magma moves closer to the surface of the 11,000-foot-tall mountain. “If an eruption occurred,” officials wrote, “it would be preceded by additional signals allowing warning.”

Even with that caveat, the group said now is a good time for residents of South Central Alaska to familiarise themselves with the possible hazards of a Mount Spurr eruption, the biggest of which is ashfall.

Other hazards from an eruption impact only the areas immediately surrounding the volcano. The pyroclastic flow—a molten mix of ash, rock, and gas moving at high speeds—could mix with additional mudflows for immediate danger in the area around the volcano.

While no residential areas are in the immediate vicinity, some are popular recreational sites. “Anyone considering a visit to the area around Spurr should be aware of these hazards, keep up to date with Spurr activity,” the group posted on X (formerly Twitter), “and obey any restrictions that might be put in place by land and emergency managers.”

The warning level for the mountain’s activity moved from green to yellow in October 2024, following months of unrest and the formation of a small lake in the summit crater in the summer of 2024. Continued activity at the site prompted officials to monitor the volcano closely.