Three hundred miles off the Oregon Coast, an underwater volcano is stirring.

Scientists are predicting Axial Seamount, located near the Juan de Fuca Ridge west of Cannon Beach, could erupt within months. But those on land need not be worried about an earthquake or tsunami, as the volcano lies about a mile beneath the ocean surface.

It’s also farther offshore than the storied Cascadia Subduction Zone fault line and poses no danger to boats on the surface, according to researchers.

Predicting its frequent eruptions, however, could help with forecasting similar events elsewhere, such as in shallow-water volcanoes in the South Pacific.

First detected by satellites in the 1970s, Axial Seamount is now one of the most highly studied volcanoes in the world, and was chosen as the site of the first underwater volcano observatory. Researchers have been monitoring it for the past 30 years, including before eruptions in 1998, 2011 and 2015.

Each followed a similar pattern, where magma pooling underground caused the surface to expand and the seafloor to rise. Now, researchers are using those measurements to predict another eruption before the end of 2025.

Updates on the forecast can be found online in a blog from the Oregon State University College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.