Discover an Active Volcano Hiding in the Rocky Mountains near Edwards, Colorado

The word "volcano" usually evokes thoughts of Hawaii or memories of the Mount St. Helens eruption — not Colorado.

But the Centennial State does have an active volcano of its own. According to Denver7, the Dotsero volcano lies in the Rocky Mountains, just off of I-70 in Eagle County.

While the landmark is active, the station reports that Colorado residents have nothing to worry about. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) only considers the volcano to be at a "moderate" risk of erupting, needing only "basic real-time monitoring coverage."

If Dotsero did decide to erupt, it is possible that the event would affect aircrafts and nearby communities. But for now, the volcano is hanging tight.

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"Because of the position of Dotsero being on the edge of the Colorado Plateau, there's a possibility for future eruptions, but it's much lower than in places like the Caribbean, where we know that magma is being made at depth regularly," Alison Graettinger, assistant professor of geosciences at University of Missouri-Kansas City, told Denver7.

The Caribbean experienced a large eruption in St. Vincent recently.

Dotsero, on the other hand, is only around 250 feet deep and hasn't erupted for about 4,200 years. The last explosion developed a crater around the volcano — something that visitors can even hike today.

Graettinger believes a Dotsero explosion wouldn't be life-threatening. It it was to erupt, scientists told Denver7 that residents would begin to notice earthquakes...something that hasn't happened in Fort Collins since 1882. 

9News took thier drone over the caldera for a look into the crater.

And if you are intrepid enough, you can ascend and peek over as this adventurer did.

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