A submarine volcano off the coast of the Pacific Northwest of the US is set to blow in 2025. Seamounts like this are providing scientists with the perfect opportunity to study the evolution of early life on Earth and the potential threat of deep-sea mining – that is, unless their equipment gets frazzled in the brewing eruption. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The Axial Seamount lies on the seabed of the Pacific around 480 kilometers (300 miles) west of Cannon Beach, Oregon. It’s nestled on the edge of the Juan de Fuca plate, a small tectonic plate that sits next to the Pacific Plate, the giant that’s responsible for hundreds of volcanoes that loop around the edge of the ocean .

Plonked precariously on a major tecto

See Full Page