Alaska’s Iliamna Volcano appears as seen from space in this image captured by the Te OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 8 satellite, 10 June 2025.
Just 5 days later, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) detected seismic activity at about 4.30am, local time, on 15 June.
More Earth from space
The AVO said this activity increased to a 'nearly continuous rate', but then slowed down to a rate of 1 seismic event per minute, before returning to regular 'background levels' around 2.30pm, local time.
So is this volcano 'ready to rumble'? What's causing this recent increase in activity at the Iliamna volcano?
Is Iliamna about to erupt?
NASA says it's unlikely the Iliamna Volcano is about to erupt, despite recent activity.
The last confirmed eruption was in 1867. Smoke and potentially light ash was recorded being ejected by the volcano in 1876, 1933, 1941 and 1947, according to the US National Park Service (NPS).
NPS also says there were reports of smoke and ash in 1956/57, but these were not confirmed.
These recent rumblings are not uncommon, NASA says, and Iliamna is known to rumble once every few years.
But such murmurings "tend not to be signs of volcanic unrest but rather the signature of avalanches large enough to register on nearby seismic and infrasound instruments," according to a NASA Earth Observatory blog on Iliamna.
And the United States Geological Survey has said that, as of 1 July 2025, Iliamna Volcano's threat level is categorised as 'Green/Normal'.
Ice, weakened rock and volcanic heat all play a role in producing substantial slides on the volcano's slopes.
And scientists say the frequency with which these avalanches occur is uncommon, so Iliamna provides a good opportunity to learn more about the processes causing them.
Luckily, too, Iliamna is in a relatively remote part of the world, so there's no direct danger to local communities caused by the landslides.
About Iliamna
Iliamna Volcano is a towering, ice-covered stratovolcano in southwest Alaska, USA, within Lake Clark National Park.
Rising over 10,000 feet, it’s one of the tallest volcanoes in the Aleutian Range.
Iliamna frequently emits steam and gas from vents near its summit, and is one of over 140 volcanoes located in Alaska.
Scientists monitor it closely due to its potential hazards, including landslides and avalanches triggered by geothermal heat.
