Alaska volcano puffs steam but doesn't erupt

[February 10, 2009]  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Mount Redoubt in southern Alaska is puffing a little steam and emitting volcanic gases but still hasn't erupted.

Volcanologist Dave Schneider at the Alaska Volcano Observatory says winds and humidity made the steam more visible Monday. The plume extended several hundred feet above the crater.

Observatory seismologist Stephanie Prejean says Redoubt's ongoing earthquakes have shifted to a higher frequency, which could mean rock is breaking. She said the large amount of gases indicate new magma in the earth's crust.

The observatory warned in late January that an eruption was possible after earthquakes beneath Mount Redoubt increased sharply.

The mountain is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.

[Associated Press]

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