But it's nothing to get too excited about, said Tom Murray, a volcanologist and scientist-in-charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
"This is absolutely normal," Murray said. "I actually saw images (of the plumes) on our Web camera. It's normal. It does not indicate any change in the volcanic activity or anything. Volcanoes sometimes steam."
Mount Spurr last erupted in 1992 after 39 years of dormancy. The volcano commands the horizon about 80 miles west of Anchorage, rising 11,066 feet. It's one of 25 volcanoes monitored round-the-clock by the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Murray said the current steam activity is a combination of the hot core of the mountain mingling with a lake at the summit.
As for when Spurr might blow again, "It's not on any schedule or anything like that," Murray said. "We keep an eye on it with our instruments and, like I said, I saw it in the Web camera today and wondered if somebody else might have noticed it."
A good time to spot the steam: Look west at sunset.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a partnership between the United States Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the State Division of Geological and Geophysical surveys. For more information, and to view various volcano Web cams, go to www.avo.alaska.edu/.
-- Anchorage Daily News
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