Volcano in Papua New Guinea little known, hard to predict

CANBERRA, Australia – People in Papua New Guinea are being warned that an eruption of a volcano in the South Pacific nation could also cause a tsunami.

The volcano on small Kadovar Island has been erupting for more than a week, forcing 700 people to leave that island and 3,000 to be evacuated from nearby Biem Island. Flights in the area have been canceled due to the risk posed by the ash plumes.

Chris Firth, a volcano expert from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at Australia's Macquarie University, said Tuesday the steepness of the volcano meant an eruption may trigger landslides into the sea, which could create a tsunami.

The volcano was also not well-studied so its activity would be harder to predict.