The Nation - News from April 1, 1986

Alaska’s Augustine volcano shot debris and ash eight miles into the air in its biggest eruption in 10 years, darkening the sky as far as 70 miles from the volcanic island. Street lights came on at noon in Homer, a fishing village of 3,000 people, and residents wore masks to avoid inhaling the corrosive ash. Seismic activity measured at 2.8 on the Richter scale accompanied the eruption, and geophysicist John Power said the earthquake may have been the result of avalanches triggered by the blast.