Warning: It inflates like a balloon, it will erupt before the end of 2025 PHOTO

This volcano, about 1,100 meters high that stretches for two kilometers and lies 1,400 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, is currently swelling and shaking significantly, indicating the accumulation of magma.

Volcanologists predict an eruption before the end of 2025, but despite its activity, scientists are not worried, writes "Daily Mail".

Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, pointed out that Axial is one of the best-monitored submarine volcanoes in the world.

"It's fascinating and it's really not dangerous," he told the Cowboy State Daily.

"When Axial erupts..."

Located along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a chain of submarine volcanoes that stretches between Oregon and Alaska, Axial is a young, shield volcano, that is, large in size and very low in profile.

Its similarity to Hawaii's Mauna Loa - the largest active volcano on Earth - and the typical non-explosive nature of shield volcano eruptions reduce concerns among experts about the impending eruption.

"When Axial erupts, it will be very similar to a Hawaiian lava flow eruption. It's not an explosive eruption, but a calm outpouring of lava flowing from a caldera (a type of crater) and spilling over the sea floor," Poland said.

University of Oregon researcher Bill Chadwick predicts that Axial will erupt by the end of this year, based on its recent increase in activity.

"It's had three eruptions in the last 30 years, so that's why we call it the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest, because most volcanoes on land aren't active that often and mostly spend their time dormant, whereas Axial has a pretty active magma supply. So if it doesn't erupt, then it inflates and prepares for the next eruption. That's why we're constantly monitoring what's going on with it," he told KOIN 6 News.

"It's inflating like a balloon"

Axial eruptions were recorded in 1998, 2011 and 2015, and there is no doubt that the volcano had erupted many times before those events, according to Poland. Axial's continued swelling reflects pre-eruption levels, leading experts to predict an imminent eruption.

After the 2015 eruption, the seabed around Axial initially rose at a rate of more than a meter per year.

That rate has gradually slowed to about one centimeter a year by 2023. But Chadwick noted last year that the seafloor has begun to swell again at a faster pace, reaching about 25 cm a year.

"The top of Axial inflates like a balloon, while magma is brought up from below and stored in a reservoir below the top of the volcano. The balloon gets bigger and bigger. And at some point, the pressure will become too much and the magma will open a crack, rising to the surface. When that happens, the sea floor settles, as the 'balloon' deflates," Chadwick told Oregonlive.com.

Can Axial cause a major earthquake?

In the months leading up to the 2015 eruption, Axial was rocked by increasing seismic activity, culminating in 9,000 earthquakes on the day of the eruption, according to Chadwick. And last year, he said, the number of earthquakes that the observatory also monitors has increased.

"All these signs point to the final stages of preparation for the next eruption," he said.

Although shield volcanoes are not usually associated with explosive eruptions, the lava flowing from them can still cause significant destruction. However, Axial, located deep below the surface of the Pacific, is subject to tremendous pressure from the water column above it.

"Deep-sea eruptions are inhibited by the ocean's enormous water pressure. Even explosive eruptions have difficulty breaking through the ocean," Poland said.

Direct contact with cold ocean water will quickly cool the magma that will erupt from Axial, creating a solid crust that insulates the interior of the lava flow.

According to the "Daily Mail", although Axial is located on the ridge of Juan de Fuca, it cannot cause a large earthquake.

"If you were there on a ship, right over an undersea volcano, you'd never know anything was going on unless you put a hydrophone (underwater microphone) in the water - then you might hear some noise from the depths. But, on the surface, there's no effect. "You would want to dive with a submarine or a remote-controlled vehicle to see what happened," Chadwick said.

Forecasting eruptions

His goal is to translate the insights gained from these eruption forecasts into a broader understanding of volcanic behavior around the world. If their prediction turns out to be correct, the scientists can then apply that knowledge to other volcanoes, adds Poland.

Many volcanoes do not have a real-time monitoring system, and scientists have only recently gained access to the large amounts of data needed to predict eruptions, so Axial, which has been continuously monitored for three decades, is a unique and invaluable resource.

"The fact that we as a society are able to predict the eruptions of a volcano that's offshore and under a lot of water is amazing. If we can develop a model of how this works on Axial, it gives us a starting point that we can apply elsewhere and with a few tweaks we can start working on forecasts for other volcanoes," Poland said.