MOUNT TONGARIRO, New Zealand — A second volcano in New Zealand threatened to rumble to life on Wednesday, a day after a long-dormant mountain that was the backdrop to "The Lord of the Rings" movies erupted. GNS Science reported no fresh convulsions at the Mount Tongariro volcano, which sent a plume of ash 20,000 feet (6,100 metres) into the atmosphere, showering the North Island and disrupting domestic air travel. But a monitoring camera showed the volcanic White Island, just off the coast of North Island, had experienced a small eruption that was probably unrelated to Tongariro, said Craig Miller, a volcanologist withGNS, the official monitoring body. "The crater-rim camera appears to be splattered with mud/ash this morning, so it seems there has been some kind of burp," he said. Around the remote Tongariro volcano -- which officials say could erupt again without warning at any time -- residents cleaned up the ash that spewed early Tuesday. Heavy rain washed away much of the fine silt, causing streams to run grey, but residents said the powdery substance seeped into homes even when doors and windows were sealed. Air travel, which was disrupted across much of the North Island because of the risk posed by volcanic ash, returned to normal, as the remnants of the cloud washed out to sea overnight. In Wellington, more than 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the volcano, a smell of sulphur from gases expelled by the volcano hung in the air for most of the morning.Read More Whakaari/White Island is an active andesite stratovolcano, situated 48 km (30 mi) from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty. The nearest mainland towns are Whakatane and Tauranga. The island is roughly circular, about 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter, and rises to a height of 321 m (1,053 ft) above sea level. However this is only the peak of a much larger submarine mountain, which rises up to 1,600 m (5,249 ft) above the nearby seafloor. Sulphur mining was attempted but was abandoned in 1914 after a lahar killed all 10 workers. The main activities on the island now are guided tours and scientific research. Source: The Coming Crisis
