Location: 46.1ºN 130.0ºW Water Depth: 1510-1530 meters
Axial Seamount is the most magmatically robust volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge spreading center, having erupted in 1998 and most recently in April 2011. It hosts numerous active hydrothermal fields and abundant sites of diffuse flow, and is expected to erupt again within the next 8 to 10 years. The Axial Caldera study site hosts myriad geophysical, chemical and biological instruments connected in real-time to the Internet via an array of junction boxes and extension cables, including an HD video camera trained on an active hydrothermal venting system.
During Leg 1 of VISIONS '14, all Secondary Infrastructure was installed at the summit of Axial Seamount. On August 8, 2014 during Leg 2 of the VISIONS'14 expedition, all extension cables were plugged into Primary Node PN3B, which will provide power and communication bandwidth from the Shore Station in Pacific City, Oregon to the volcano. Live data is expected to flow from this site early 2015 and will be announced by Ocean Leadership.