00:00There's a volcano nearly a mile beneath the ocean, and it's inflating like a balloon.
00:05Scientists say it could blow any time now.
00:07Deep in the Pacific Ocean, 300 miles off the Oregon coast, sits the axial seamount.
00:13It's not your typical volcano.
00:15This one is underwater and has just become the center of scientists' attention.
00:19Why? Because it's swelling with molten rock!
00:22Researchers at Oregon State University have recorded over 2,000 earthquakes in a single day near it.
00:28That's a major red flag.
00:30The ground beneath the sea is rising.
00:32It's literally inflating, signaling intense pressure buildup.
00:36And when that pressure reaches its limit, an eruption becomes inevitable.
00:40This volcano has already erupted in 1998, 2011, and 2015.
00:46And if the pattern holds, the next one could happen before the end of 2025.
00:50But here's the wild part.
00:52Even though it's the most active submarine volcano in the region,
00:55it's so deep under the sea, you could be on a boat above it and never know it erupted.
01:00Still, this eruption could unlock secrets about how volcanoes behave on land.
01:05And scientists are watching it very closely.
01:07A volcano inflating like a balloon.
01:09Thousands of quakes in one day.
01:11This sleeping giant may not stay quiet much longer.
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