Iqaluit (Sep 04/06) - A mysterious seismic event off the west coast of Greenland put the hamlet of Clyde River on alert and forced hunters and campers in off the land.

The Canadian Coast Guard issued a warning Aug. 28 after officials from the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Uummanaq, Greenland reported "possible smoke and bubbles" stemming from seismic activity offshore, said Coast Guard spokesperson Carol Bond.

"It is most unusual to get this kind of report," she said. "It's a judgment call every time. In the interest of safety we gave a notice to mariners."

After receiving the warning, hamlet officials in Clyde River contacted hunters and campers out on the land by radio and satellite phone and told them to return home. The community also went on evacuation standby.

"We had to bring everyone back into the community," said Sandy Kautuq, Clyde River's assistant senior administrative officer.

In Pond Inlet, Canadian Rangers posted at Siuralik on the tip of the Borden Peninsula, reported unusually high waves, said assistant senior administrative officer Jesse Nutarak.

"There was no damage to any property or any of the buildings (in Pond Inlet)," he said.

The Coast Guard told the hamlet to expect waves but "we didn't see anything," he said.

Officials sounded the all clear at 7:30 p.m.

In Pangnirtung, the hamlet held a meeting of its emergency committee and asked hunters to pull their boats from the water in case of high waves. The hamlet did not go into evacuation standby.

"We were more concerned with some of the winds that were going on," said SAO Greg Morash.

Some media reports indicated the disturbance may have been a volcanic discharge or release of natural gas. But a seismologist with the Canadian Geographic Survey in Sidney, B.C., said scientists are baffled.

Taimi Mulder said the event was hundreds of kilometres away from the CGS's instruments on Baffin Island and nothing turned up on the satellite image of the area.

"It could have been anything from a seal blowing bubbles to a small fisherman's boat catching fire," she said.

"It could have been almost anything."

Nunavut News/North was unable to reach officials in Greenland for comment.