The likelihood of an Alaska volcano’s explosive eruption not far from the state’s largest city has increased, according to researchers.
Officials with the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported Wednesday morning that flights over the volcano on Friday and Tuesday detected increased gas emissions from Mount Spurr, about 80 miles west of Anchorage and the closest active volcano to Alaska’s population centers. The gas emissions show that new magma has formed under the volcano, which “indicates that an eruption is likely, but not certain, to occur within the next few weeks or months,” the researchers’ update says.
That follows months of unrest, during which the researchers detected an increase in the number of small earthquakes at Mount Spurr, starting in the spring of 2024. That caused the Alaska Volcano Observatory to raise its code for Spurr to yellow, or “advisory” status, in October. In February, researchers said the earthquakes and deformation of the volcano continued, but they said at the time there were equal chances the volcano would erupt or not…