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Alaskan Volcano Releases Steam, Sulfur Gas

Posted on: Thursday, 15 December 2005, 21:50 CST

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A restless Alaskan volcano has been emitting steam and clouds of sulfur gas for a week, creating a bad odor in some of the nearby coastal communities, seismologists said on Thursday.

Augustine Volcano, a 4,205-foot (1,282-meter), conical-shaped volcano on an island in south-central Alaska, had a small steam eruption on Thursday, the third in a week, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

There were no signs of an imminent major eruption, the observatory's staff seismologist, Game McGimsey, said. Such an event would likely be preceded by much stronger seismic activity, he said.

But the release of hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs, has caused some complaints, especially in the nearby Native villages of Nanwalek and Port Graham, McGimsey said.

"The wind has been shifting around, so different communities have been receiving the odiferous end of things," he said. "At worst, it's probably a little bit of a distraction or some discomfort, but it's not really hazardous."

Augustine, which lies 180 miles southwest of Anchorage in Cook Inlet, last erupted in 1986. That eruption dusted Anchorage and the south-central region with ash. An 1883 eruption sent a tsunami to Port Graham, according to historic records.

Source: REUTERS

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