ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: Hundreds of small earthquakes have shaken the earth around the Sabancaya volcano in southern Peru over just a few days, and the rumbling, along with plumes of smoke spewing up to 320 feet, or 100 meter high, have put officials on alert to evacuate the area.<br/> <br />Peru's geological agency Ingemmet recorded some 536 quakes, about 20 an hour, on February 22 and 23 and periodic movement is ongoing.<br/> <br />Thousands of people live in the valleys surrounding the volcano. Some have already started to leave the region because the unusual seismic activity has damaged their homes.<br/> <br />About 80 homes were damaged by one tremor on February 22, Peru's national defense office said.<br/> <br />The 20,000 foot or 6,000-meter volcano Sabancaya, which means "tongue of fire" in Quechua, has not had a significant eruption in nearly a decade. It sits atop the South America tectonic plate, which forces magma to the surface when it clashes with the neighboring Nazca plate.
