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Scientists Detected Nine Quakes at the Largest Active Volcano in Washington State. The Risk of Eruption Is Not Immediate, but Avalanches and Mudflows Could Put Thousands of People at Risk.
Mount Adams in Washington State is showing signs that it may awaken. Between September and October 2023, scientists detected nine earthquakes near the volcano. This seismic activity has put experts from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on alert.
Mount Adams stands at 3,667 meters tall and is located 88 km from Yakima, a city in the south-central part of the state. It is classified as a high-threat volcano. Although its last eruption occurred thousands of years ago, scientists assure that it will erupt again. The question is when that will happen.
What Do the Earthquakes Indicate?
The volcano normally records a tremor every two to three years. But in just two months of 2023, nine quakes were detected, with magnitudes between 0.9 and 2.0. This increase may indicate that something is changing inside the volcano.
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However, experts still do not see an immediate risk of eruption. According to the USGS, the tremors may just be normal background activity, with no direct relation to an imminent explosion.
The Real Danger of Mount Adams Volcano
Even without an eruption, Mount Adams poses a significant risk to surrounding areas. The greatest danger comes from landslides and mudflows, known as lahars.
These flows are a mixture of rock, ash, ice, and water. They descend the slopes of the volcano like a river of concrete at high speed. In some cases, they can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h and devastate entire communities.
Another concerning factor is the ice-covered summit, which hides large volumes of unstable rocks. If one of these masses were to slide, it could generate a lahar without warning.
New Monitoring Stations Have Been Installed
To better understand what is happening, the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) have installed three new monitoring stations around the volcano.
The equipment operates on solar power and detects any seismic activity in real time. This enables scientists to predict potential changes and alert the public more quickly.
Can Mount Adams Erupt Soon?
Earthquakes do not always mean that a volcano is going to erupt. For that to happen, a stronger quake, above magnitude 6, would be necessary.
The nine recent tremors were too small to trigger an eruption. Additionally, seismic activity has decreased since October 2023.
Nonetheless, scientists remain vigilant. Mount Adams has a history of effusive eruptions, which are not explosive but form slow lava flows. However, it is still unknown what its next activity will be like.
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