A staggering 300,000 US residents are frantically preparing as an 11,000 foot volcano gets ready to erupt.
Mount Spurr, which is located in a remote region of Alaska, has been showing signs in recent weeks that it could soon erupt.
The volcano is situated around 81 miles away from the Alaskan city of Anchorage, which is home to around 300,000 residents who are now in preparation for a potentially explosive event.
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Earlier this month, it was announced that the chances of a Mount Spurr eruption had increased and it was thought that it could happen ‘within the next few weeks or months’.
Speaking to NPR, local residents shared how they were preparing for the event, sharing they had bought protective goggles for their dogs.
According to the report, the city government has issued a warning about the risk of ash in the lungs and has provided recommendations for pets.
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The United States Geological Survey has warned that ‘tiny jagged particles of rock and natural glass’ can be found in ash and can be harmful to animals and humans.
Residents are also using tape to seal up gaps in windows and locals are being advised to remain indoors in the event of a volcanic eruption.
Experts at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) have been closely monitoring the volcano’s activity.
In an update on Tuesday (April 8), they wrote: “Unrest continues at Mount Spurr volcano. Seismicity remains elevated with occasional small, shallow volcanic earthquakes detected beneath the volcano over the past day.
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“AVO continues monitoring activity at Mount Spurr for signals indicating that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption.”
Speaking to Alaska Public Media, Matt Haney, who is the scientist in charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said: “It’s almost like we have a checklist of the usual signs that volcanoes give us before they progress to an eruption, and now we’re seeing all four of those are giving us those indicators.”
While it is not clear yet if an eruption will definitely happen at all, scientists now believe that it is’ more likely to happen than not.
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Haney said: “We haven’t quantified what that is in terms of a percentage but it is judged to be higher likelihood than this unrest dissipating.”
There’s no telling just yet whether Mount Spurr will erupt anytime soon but the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is continuing to monitor its activity and currently rates it as Level of Concern Color Code Yellow, which means there has been signs of increased unrest and it has an advisory status.