Mount Spurr, the 11,070-foot volcano that towers west of Anchorage across Cook Inlet, is showing signs of settling down, at least for now, after a winter of heightened unrest that sparked eruption watches from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
In March, scientists with the AVO issued a notable alert, warning that “the likelihood of Mount Spurr eruption in the next few weeks or months has increased.” They cited significantly elevated volcanic gas emissions, newly reactivated fumaroles at the volcano’s Crater Peak vent, and persistent earthquakes and ground deformation. The data suggested that new magma had intruded into the crust beneath the volcano, raising concerns that Mount Spurr might be preparing for an explosive eruption similar to those of 1953 and 1992.
But three months later, those dire warnings have not materialized. While Mount Spurr remains restless, the volcano has not escalated to a more threatening phase. “Although low-level unrest continues, no changes have been observed in the monitoring data to indicate that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption,” the AVO reported this week…