Residents in Alaska’s largest city are bracing for a looming volcano eruption that scientists have warned could happen in a few weeks.
Mount Spurr, an 11,000-foot-tall volcano, sits just 81 miles from Anchorage, which is home to nearly 300,000 people.
According to Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge at the AVO, the potential eruption would have a significant impact, describing it as ‘explosive.’ He mentioned that the event could result in the release of multiple ash plumes, reaching heights of up to 50,000 feet.
During each ash-producing explosive phase, which could last for several hours, areas like Anchorage and surrounding communities may find themselves covered in a massive ash cloud.
The International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN) warns that volcanic ash has the potential to cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. Individuals with conditions such as asthma, lung diseases, or severe heart problems may experience more severe health issues as a result of exposure to volcanic ash.
Residents have stocked up on N9-5 masks, latex gloves and jugs of water to prepare for the layers of ash, along with protective goggles, gas masks and booties for their dogs.
‘We’re getting ready for the volcanic eruption,’ said TikTok user Angela Łot’oydaatlno Gonzalez in a recent video, ‘Check out the dogs.’
Wearing a pair of goggles, she sits with her two dogs who are also sporting protective eyewear. ‘They’re not happy with the goggles,’ Gonzalez says. ‘We have to get them ear protection next, and something to cover their bodies.’
Scientists warn Mount Spurr in Alaska could erupt within the next few weeks or months. It last erupted in 1992 (pictured)
Anchorage locals have shared photos of their pups’ protective gear on the Facebook page for a local pet shop, AK Bark, that is selling goggles and dog respirators
She also shows all the items she has purchased over the last few weeks in preparation for a Mount Spurr eruption, including protective masks, dog booties and tape to close off any gaps in windows and doors and jugs of water.
Gonzales is far from the only one making sure she and her pets will be safe.
Anchorage residents Alliana Salanguit and Jesslin Wooliver told NPR that they bought protective gear for their dog, Iroh, as soon as scientists announced that Mount Spurr may erupt.
‘I searched ‘pink, dog goggles, small,’ and it was the top result,’ Salanguit said of Iroh’s heart-shaped goggles. ‘Aren’t they darling?’
On March 20, Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2, which means that they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols.
The city has also issued safety recommendations for pet owners ahead of the possible eruption.
Officials advised people to keep their animals inside as much as possible, have enough food and medication on hand to last two weeks, and be sure to brush or wash ash out of their fur if they do have to go outside.
AK Bark, an Anchorage pet store sells protective eyewear for dogs, and owner Mark Robokoff told NPR he sold more than 500 pairs in March.
The city of Anchorage has issued safety recommendations for pet owners ahead of the possible eruption
Officials advised them to keep their animals inside as much as possible, have enough food and medication on hand to last two weeks, and be sure to brush or wash ash out of their fur if they do have to go outside
He added that a shipment dog respirators is also headed to the store, and he’s already presold 1,800 of them.
Some locals have taken to the AK Bark Facebook page to share photos of their pups dressed in eruption gear.
Over the last year, Mount Spurr has been experiencing increased seismic activity, ground-surface displacement and gas emissions, all of which are signs of an impending eruption.
Seismic activity near Mount Spurr kicked off in April 2024, and in October, the rate of quakes increased from an average of 30 per week to 125 per week.
In a Tuesday update, experts at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) wrote: ‘Unrest continues at Mount Spurr volcano. Seismicity remains elevated with occasional small, shallow volcanic earthquakes detected beneath the volcano over the past day.’
‘AVO continues monitoring activity at Mount Spurr for signals indicating that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption.’
Since the beginning of the month, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has detected hundreds of small tremors within a 30-mile radius of the volcano.
On April 2, a larger magnitude 3.7 quake struck near Petersville at 11:44am, about 30 miles north-west of Mount Spurr. This quake hit 65 miles below the surface — an earthquake depth that would typically be associated with tectonic plate movement.
But since Mount Spurr is showing other signs of unrest, it’s possible that this quake was linked to magma rising from deeper in the Earth’s mantle. Scientists estimate an eruption could happen in the next few weeks or months.
In addition to continuous seismic activity, Mount Spurr began releasing elevated levels of gas from its summit crater and a side vent on March 7.
The emissions combined with the earthquakes and ground deformation has put scientists on alert.
The volcano’s summit crater hasn’t erupted for 5,000 years, experts estimate. But its side vent, called Crater Peak, last erupted just 30 years ago.
If Mount Spurr blows again, the eruption will most likely be from this side vent and will look similar to the 1992 event, Haney said.
The volcano covered the entire city of Anchorage in an eighth of an inch of ash during this eruption.
The skies darkened in the middle of the day due to the enormous cloud of dust and gas blotting out the sun, and the city’s airport was forced to shut down for 20 hours.
Crater Peak then erupted two more times, once in August and again in September.
The Municipality of Anchorage reported nearly $2million in damages, office closures and cleanup costs from the August eruption, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
No one was killed by these events directly. But two heart attacks, one fatal, from shoveling ashfall were reported in Anchorage.
If Mount Spurr’s activity continues to ramp up, the next sign of an eruption will be a volcanic tremor, Haney warned.
