Two volcanoes in Alaska and Popocatepetl in Mexico are either erupting or showing signs of activity. As sea levels continue to rise, putting pressure on continental shelves, predictions are that volcanic activity will also increase, as well as seismic activity. Whether or not earthquakes will follow the eruptions of these volcanoes is not known, but officials are concerned that plumes from the Alaskan volcanoes could endanger air travel from the US to Asia, and Mexican vulcanologists are watching Popo carefully, in expectation of a more significant and potentially dangerous level of activity.
The Pavlof and Cleveland volcanoes in Alaska are both in the Aleutian Islands, at the northern end of the Juan De Fuca plate, which is considered the least stable of the plates in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Volcanoes can trigger earthquakes, but most take place when there is no volcanic activity in the quake region. However, it is thought that volcanic tremors can destabilize sensitive plates.
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