A series of shallow earthquakes near Mount Spurr about 78 miles from Anchorage, Alaska, has geologists monitoring to see if the volcano will erupt for the first time since 1992.

Multiple small quakes were detected underneath the north side of the volcanic vent at the mountain’s summit, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) said in an alert Monday.

Currently, the mountain’s activity is at the advisory alert level and aviation color code yellow, both indicating elevated unrest from the usual baseline.

Scientists are looking for the formation of a lava lake at the summit, ground deformation, changes in earthquake activity, and openings that release volcanic gas and vapors as signs of an eruption to come.

“It’s about a 50/50 chance right now. So it’s equally likely it will or will not progress to an eruption,” geophysicist Matt Haney, who leads the AVO, told USA Today.

Mount Spurr erupted in June, August and September 1992, according to USGS. During those eruptions, and during a prior eruption in 1953, it sent out towering plumes of ash that were carried downwind from its Crater Peak vent.

A summit eruption from Mount Spurr would be the first in the historical record, and could produce lava and melt glaciers, the AVO said in a Feb. 6 release.

“There has been no eruption from the summit of Spurr in thousands of years, … so that’s one of the reasons we think it’s more likely to erupt” from Crater Peak, AVO scientist David Fee told CNN.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.