Major US volcano is set to erupt imminently, scientists say

Scientists in the US have warned that a major volcano is getting ready to erupt and that it could do so imminently.

The Axial Seamount is a significant submerged volcano located around 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, on the American west coast.

It lies close to 5,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean's surface but has triggered a huge number of earthquakes in recent weeks, with magma pushing up to the surface.

We have seen throughout history how much destruction natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions can lead to, with perhaps one of the most famous cases trapping a young girl and thousands of others in a mudflow in Colombia.

However, scientists have been keeping a close eye on the Axial Seamount and think they're able to pinpoint a realistic time frame on when it might erupt.

Scientists have been keeping a close eye on it (Schmidt Ocean Institute)

The levels scientists are recording are in line with the figures they saw in 2015, when the volcano last erupted, which has led William Wilcock, a professor and marine geophysicist at the University of Washington, to suggest that the eruption could happen as early as tomorrow.

He said: "At the moment, there are a couple hundred earthquakes a day, but that's still a lot less than we saw before the previous eruption."

"I would say it was going to erupt sometime later (this year) or early 2026, but it could be tomorrow, because it's completely unpredictable," the marine geophysicist added.

Volcanic eruptions haven't had the best reputation since Pompeii, but while this one could be huge, scientists have also suggested that it is unlikely to have any direct impact on humans, while some marine life may even benefit from the new heat sources on offer.

The eruption of the Axial Seamount would primarily affect surrounding marine life (Susan Merle/Oregon State University)

However, the last eruption did trigger around 8,000 earthquakes which led the bottom of the ocean to sink around eight feet, which may make things even harder for those keen on exploring the deep sea, as we now rely on robots to reach depths that the human body isn't capable of.

That clearly doesn't phase Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, as he expressed his excitement about the eruption.

He said: "This particular volcano is probably the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world," he told Cowboy State Daily. "It's fascinating and doesn't really pose a hazard.

"When Axial Seamount erupts, it'll look a lot like a Hawaiian lava flow eruption. It's not an explosive eruption, but calm effusions of lava flowing out of the caldera and across the seafloor."