The Jerusalem report concerning the Zerka volcano smoke 25 miles from Jerusalem called forth wide comment here. The volcano is situated on the Transjordanian shore of the Dead Sea.
A noted British geologist told the correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency here that what the Jerusalem population observed last night was not the smoke of a volcano but the smoke of gases ascending from the depths throught cracks formed by the earthquake which are burning their way to the surface.
It appears, the geologist stated, to be a similar phenomenon to what is described in the Bible story as seen by Abraham from Hebron, during the destrution of Sodom and Gemorrah, the cities located on the site now covered by the Dead Sea. There are several places in the vicinity of the Dead Sea shores where gases are known to ascend through cracks, he stated.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
