Frankston is a bayside suburb some 40 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne.It's always been known for its beach and until well into the 20th century it was a popular camping holiday resort for Melbumians.The soil for some distance back from the coast is sandy,typically 85% silica with a little alumina,suggesting that the beach once extended well past the present shoreline.It's hardly the place for a volcanic eruption,but local residents feared that was what they were in for early in 1915 when white smoke was observed issuing from the ground near the football field.Closer inspection by brave citizens revealed that white crystals-'beautiful cubes and interlacing needles'-had formed on the edge of the vents.
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