An underwater volcanic eruption has left steam in the air and ash in the water near Sarigan Island in the Northern Mariana island chain in the Pacific Ocean.
The island is a US territory, and comes under the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which evacuated 16 people (mostly scientists and military personnel) from nearby islands after the volcano, at 1000 feet under the sea created a cloud of ash and steam reaching 40,000 feet into the air.
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Currently, the volcano's aviation color code is yellow, meaning that aircraft are still being permitted to fly. The volcano is closely being watched by authorities, but so far satellite images provided by the USGS has shown no sign of any new activity.
"It seems to be one big burp," Mike Middlebooke, a senior forecaster for the National Weather Service, told CNN.
