Southern California Bombarded With Earthquake Swarms

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18. A dormant volcano is always dormant.....

...until it's not:

New Zealand dormant volcano erupts after a century

6 August 2012 Last updated at 23:55 ET


"It looked like Hiroshima", says one local resident of the ash cloud that spewed from Mount Tongariro

A New Zealand volcano dormant for more than a century has erupted, sending up ash clouds, disrupting flights and closing roads.

Mount Tongariro, one of three volcanoes in the centre of the North Island, became active just before midnight local time, with reports of loud explosions, spewing rocks and steam.

The 1,978m (6,490 ft) peak is in a national park popular with hikers.

No casualties or damage have been reported after the eruption.

Witnesses described a dramatic scene as the volcano erupted.

''I saw this beautiful, big cloud and I thought: 'Gee that looks like a volcanic plume'. Just as I thought that there was a great big orange flash," truck driver Bryn Rodda told New Zealand National Radio.

"It was quite impressive."

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http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/salton_buttes/

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