Is Mount Adams going to erupt after thousands of years of dormancy? Find out here

As per the latest developments, Mount Adams, Washington’s largest volcano, has recently shown a surge in seismic activity after remaining largely dormant for thousands of years. To closely monitor this situation, to avoid any destruction, the US Geological Survey (USGS) are setting up temporary seismic stations around the volcano to assess the potential for an eruption.

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As of right now, the USGS maintains that there is no need to be extremely concerned, keeping Mount Adams’ warning level and colour code at GREEN / NORMAL. But in light of the current spike in seismic activity at the volcano, the agency is judiciously stepping up its monitoring efforts by adding more recording equipment. This upgrade aims to improve the precision of detecting smaller earthquakes and to provide insight into the underlying causes of this seismic activity. The USGS stated, “The results of our findings will determine if any additional actions are needed.”

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At this time, it is uncertain whether the recent earthquakes are a sign of a more significant awakening of Mount Adams or merely a random fluctuation. The volcano’s past activity has mostly consisted of short-distance lava flows rather than major eruptions, thus if the eruption occurs, it may not be explosive.

Research indicates that Mount Adams has produced four lava flows within the last 12,000 years, all of which have remained within a few miles of the volcano. The USGS highlights that the greatest risk to nearby communities comes from lahars—muddy flows of rock, ash, and ice—that can occur during both eruptive and non-eruptive phases. These lahars have the potential to travel significant distances, with historical flows thought to have reached far from the volcano approximately 6,000 and 300 years ago.

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Significant amounts of hydrothermally weakened rock are hidden by the ice-covered peak of the volcano, which is concerning since it might cause landslides in the future and cause lahars to spread far from the mountain. As a result, Mount Adams has been given the title of high-threat volcano, but this classification is based more on the possibility of volcanic activity than on the actual impact on the surrounding population.

For now, the Cascade Volcano Observatory (CVO) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) have stated their intention to continue monitoring earthquake activity and will provide further updates as necessary.