CANNON BEACH Explore the world of undersea volcanoes with volcanologist Bill Chadwick of the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 13 at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum. Dive down to the Axial Seamount and learn about the life of one of the most active underwater volcanoes in the north Pacific Ocean.

For those of who are unaware, the Axial Seamount is located about 250 miles off the shore of Cannon Beach on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The Juan de Fuca Ridge is a spreading center where two tectonic plates are separating; the Pacific Plate is moving to the west and the Juan de Fuca plate is moving to the east. As the plates separate, magma that is generated in the Earths mantle rises up and erupts on the seafloor to create new ocean crust.

The Axial Seamount is a fantastic location for studying interdisciplinary marine research. Several years ago, scientists discovered a new eruption of Axial Seamount. The lava flow from the 2011 eruption was at least 1.2 miles wide. Volcanoes are notoriously difficult to forecast, and much less is known about undersea volcanoes than those on land, so the ability to monitor Axial Seamount, and determine that it was on a path toward an impending eruption is pretty exciting, said Chadwick.

When eruptions like this occur, a huge amount of heat comes out of the sea floor, the chemistry of sea floor hot springs is changed, and pre-existing vent biological communities are destroyed and new ones form, Chadwick added. Some species are only found right after eruptions, so it is a unique opportunity to study them.

During the past few years several eruptions have been recording at the Axial Seamount. Chadwick will talk about these findings and what they mean for coastal inhabitants.

Chadwick is a volcanologist and research professor in the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies at Oregon State Universitys Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. He is also a collaborator with the NOAA Vents Program. He received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. His research focuses on how submarine volcanoes work, how volcanic events impact hydrothermal systems, and documenting the character of seafloor eruptions. He also conducts volcano monitoring, both on land and underwater, to better understand the underground magma movements that lead to eruptions.

This event is free and open to the public. The museum is located at 1387 S. Spruce St. For more information, call the museum at 503-436-9301.