Alaska Preps for Tsunami

augustine-volcano.jpg Augustine, an island volcano off the coast of Alaska, is rumbling. The photo here is from December 12. Scientists say the chances of an eruption triggering a massive landslide into the sea--and a tsunami--are slim. But local officials aren't taking any chances.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, waterfront villages that lie within 45 minutes of a big wave are wiring up with sirens, and the town of Homer is reviewing its evacuation plans. Any eruption that produces a 4.5 seismic disturbance on the Richter scale will be presumed to have launched a landslide.

Photo: Game McGimsey, U.S. Geological Survey (more photos here)