A massive volcano in Alaska is now steaming from its summit crater, signaling more signs of unrest. 

Scientists have been keeping a close eye on Mount Spurr, a 11,000-foot-tall volcano that sits just 81 miles from the city of Anchorage, over the past few months due to growing signs it is ready to blow.

In the Alaska Volcano Observatory's (AVO) latest update, scientists said webcam images captured over the weekend showed 'continued steaming from the summit crater.'

'This type of steaming is typical for Mount Spurr during this current period of unrest,' their statement reads. 

AVO also noted that 'seismicity remains elevated' as earthquake swarms have been detected beneath Mount Spurr over the past day.

The seismic activity is due to magma rising to the surface, causing stress and cracking in the surrounding rock.

If Mount Spurr does blow, the event 'would be explosive,' Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge at the AVO, previously told DailyMail.com.

He explained that it would spew multiple plumes of ash rising as high as 50,000 feet into the air that may blanket Anchorage — home to nearly 300,000 people — in a layer of dust. 

The AVO's Friday updated noted that the likelihood of an eruption had decreased due to data monitoring changes, but Sunday's announcement did not give context about the threat of an eruption. 

Despite the decline in surface activity, AVO emphasized that an eruption remains a possibility due to continued deep magma movement. 

Although scientists said that this year-long period of unrest could mean that an eruption is coming, they noted that the steaming detected this week does not mean one is imminent. 

The AVO said that while Mount Spurr is still showing signs of unrest, it does not mean the volcano is moving closer to an eruption. 

The other signs, such as ground deformation, earthquakes and melting snow at the top, are indicators of an eruption, but are expected during times of unrest and are not indicators that Mount Spurr is set to blow in a matter of days.

The volcano's heightened activity kicked off in April 2024, and in October, the rate of earthquakes near Mount Spurr increased from an average of 30 per week to 125 per week. 

Scientists have been monitoring it using local seismic, infrasound, webcam and GNSS stations along with regional infrasound, lightning networks and satellite data, according to the AVO's Sunday statement. 

If Mount Spurr's activity continues to ramp up, the next sign of an eruption will be a volcanic tremor, Haney said. 

This would be different from the brief, shallow earthquakes this volcano has already been experiencing.

A volcanic tremor is a longer stretch of ongoing shaking that can persist for minutes to days.

It occurs when magma beneath the volcano begins rising toward the surface as the eruption grows imminent. 

Back in June 1992 — the last time Mount Spurr erupted — volcanic tremors began about three weeks before it finally blew.

Haney said an impending eruption from this volcano would likely look similar to the 1992 event, which occurred at Mount Spurr's side vent: Crater Peak. 

The resulting ash cloud darkened skies in the middle of the day, forced all of  Anchorage's airports to shut down and blanketed the city in an eighth of an inch of ash.

Crater Peak then erupted two more times, once in August and again in September.

The Municipality of Anchorage reported nearly $2million in damages, office closures and cleanup costs from the August eruption, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

No one was killed by these events directly. But two heart attacks, one fatal, from shoveling ashfall were reported in Anchorage.

Breathing in ash also poses a health hazards. The tiny particles can work their way deep into the lungs, worsening symptoms for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis.

A Mount Spurr eruption could also produce destructive mudslides and avalanches of volcanic debris that race down the volcano's sides at over 200 miles per hour, 'but fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected,' Haney said. 

In response to the volcano's heightened activity, Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2 on March 20.   

This means that they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols. 

Residents are already disaster-prepping, stocking up on N9-5 masks, latex gloves and jugs of water, along with protective goggles, gas masks and booties for their dogs.

'We're getting ready for the volcanic eruption,' said TikTok user Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez in a recent video, 'Check out the dogs.'

Wearing a pair of goggles, she sits with her two dogs who are also sporting protective eyewear. 'They're not happy with the goggles,' Gonzalez says. 'We have to get them ear protection next, and something to cover their bodies.'

Gonzales is far from the only one making sure she and her pets will be safe.

Anchorage residents Alliana Salanguit and Jesslin Wooliver told NPR that they bought protective gear for their dog, Iroh, as soon as scientists announced that Mount Spurr may erupt. 

'I searched 'pink, dog goggles, small,' and it was the top result,' Salanguit said of Iroh's heart-shaped goggles. 'Aren't they darling?' 

On March 20, Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2, which means that they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols. 

The city has also issued safety recommendations for pet owners ahead of the possible eruption.

Officials advised people to keep their animals inside as much as possible, have enough food and medication on hand to last two weeks, and be sure to brush or wash ash out of their fur if they do have to go outside.