One of California's riskiest volcanoes has for decades been undergoing geological changes and seismic activity, which are sometimes a precursor to an eruption, but -- thankfully -- no supervolcanic eruptions are expected. That's according to Caltech researchers who have been studying the Long Valley Caldera, which includes the Mammoth Lakes area in Mono County. The caldera was classified in 2018 by the U.S. Geological Survey as one of three volcanoes in the state -- along with 15 elsewhere in the U.S. -- considered a "very high threat," the highest-risk category defined by the agency. The two other volcanoes in California with that classification are Mt. Shasta in Siskiyou County and the Lassen Volcanic Center, which includes Lassen Peak in Shasta County.

Just before 3 a.m. one night this month, Scott Slumpff was awakened by the ding of a text message. "An ALERTCalifornia anomaly has been confirmed in your area of interest," the message said. Slumpff, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, sprang into action. The message meant the agency's new artificial intelligence system had identified signs of a wildfire with a remote mountaintop camera in San Diego County. Within minutes, crews were dispatched to the burgeoning blaze on Mount Laguna -- squelching it before it grew any larger than a 10-foot-by-10-foot spot.