Alaska volcano simmers down

An eruption may not be imminent after all for Alaska's Mount Redoubt, authorities said Thursday."For the past two weeks or so, the seismic activity at Redoubt volcano has significantly decreased," said Michelle Coombs, a geologist for the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey. The status is now at a "yellow" level, meaning the volcano is "exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, or eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions." In late January, experts began paying close attention to the volcano and raised the alert to "orange," indicating that it could erupt at any time. "We believe based on what we're seeing now, that if it were to erupt, that we would see enough increase in seismic activity to give us sufficient warning to go back up to orange," Coombs said.Two other volcanoes in Alaska are also at the "yellow" status currently, and Mount Redoubt could remain at that level for months, Coombs said.