Travel warning issued over massive volcano eruption that could already spark chaos for 300,000 US residents
Gregory Robinson
Featured Image Credit: R.G. McGimsey / Alaska Volcano Observator
A travel warning has been issued as a volcano that is set to erupt could lead to chaos for 300,000 local residents.
Scientists are warning those who live in Anchorage, Alaska - home to nearly 300,000 people - that a volcano that sits just 81 miles away is due to erupt over the course of the next few weeks.
This comes as scientists observed increased activity in Mount Spurr in recent months with regular earthquakes.
Alaska’s government is warning locals to keep an eye out for updates now that the risk level has been graded yellow, meaning the volcano is ‘exhibiting signs of elevated unrest above known background level’.
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Mount Spurr, which is just 80 miles away from the state capital Anchorage, last erupted in 1992. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said the ash was so thick, it was enough to 'block out the sun for several hours across Cook Inlet, turning day into night'.
The plume of ash this time around could reach up to 50,000ft, or 15km, which would cause global aviation issues.
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland caused the largest air traffic suspension since World War II.
“Unrest continues at Mount Spurr volcano,” an AVO update said on Tuesday (29 April). “Frequent small volcanic earthquakes were detected beneath the volcano over the past day.
“Most of the earthquakes that are occurring under the volcano are too small to be located. Nothing unusual was observed in cloudy to partly cloudy webcam and satellite views. Results from the most recent overflight on April 24 show that gas emissions are broadly unchanged from March and remain elevated above background levels.”
Mount Spurr has experienced seismic activity over the course of the last year - giving signs of an impending eruption.
In October 2024, the rate of quakes increased from an average of 30 per week to 125 per week.
After hearing about the concerning updates, Anchorage residents began stocking up on masks, latex gloves and jugs of water, as well as protective goggles and gas masks.
People are also getting protection for their pets, as one user on TikTok shared her dog's new goggles in preparation for the eruption.
She said: "We're getting ready for the volcanic eruption, check out the dogs."
Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2 earlier in March, meaning communication with residents has massively ramped up.