Axial Seamount Teacher Science Resources


compiled by 2017 teacher-at-sea,
Teresa Atwill

Axial Seamount is the site of on-going research and it can be an exciting addition to science classrooms. It is the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest (despite being underwater and offshore). It has erupted 3 times in the last 20 years, the most recent in 2015. Axial Seamount has the most advanced underwater volcano observatory anywhere on Earth and has numerous active hydrothermal vent fields.

Almost every summer several scientific and engineering research cruises head out to Axial Seamount to check on its status, collect more samples, and to maintain the monitoring instruments that send an array of geophysical, chemical and biological data to shore.

Help your students connect to this exiting ocean research! 

Presented here is information about Axial Seamount, the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and geology/oceanography for high school and middle school science classrooms as well as a few activities for elementary classrooms.

Five Super Cool things to do with your students related to our Northwest geology, Axial Seamount and ocean science.

Classroom Activities for various grade levels

Awesome videos!

Sources for background information about Axial Seamount