US scientists said Tuesday that for the first time they have successfully predicted the eruption of one of the world's most active undersea volcanoes off the coast of the western state of Oregon: Scientists from Oregon and New York have been monitoring Axial Seamount, 250 miles out to sea, since it last erupted in 1998, and predicted it would again before 2014. On an exhibition to the area on July 29, researchers using a remotely operated robot discovered a lava flow that was not there the year before, and began noticing that the entire area looked unfamiliar. "When we first arrived at the seafloor, we thought we were in the wrong place, because it looked so completely different," said Bill Chadwick, an Oregon State University geologist who co-authored a 2006 study that forecast another eruption by 2014. "We were unable to find our markers or monitoring instruments, or other distinctive features on the bottom." The team was using bottom pressure sensors, the same tools used to monitor the sea floor for potential tsunamis after an earthquake. A couple of their recording instruments soon turned up, and scientists determined that the eruption happened on April 6. The team was excited at the recovery, but cautioned that most volcanoes remain highly volatile.
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