Devil’s Woodyard volcano erupts again

THE Devil's Woodyard mud volcano erupted this afternoon almost at the same time a 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook TT, Venezuela, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and Guyana.

Councillor from the Princes Town Regional Corporation for Hindustan/St Mary's, Michelle Benjamin, told Newsday that residents reported hearing a loud sound coming from the volcano at the same time the first tremors from the earthquake began.

Benjamin said residents fled their homes, seeking open ground, and saw the volcano spewing mud several feet in the air.

She said no one had reported any structural damage to their homes and there were no reports of further cracking of the earth around the volcano.

In a 47-second clip posted to social media, residents are heard exclaiming over the sound the volcano made while erupting. In the video, gas can be seen shooting up.

It last erupted on February 13 after being mostly inactive for years.

In the days following the eruption, director of the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre, Prof Richard Robertson said there is a connection between seismic activity and mud volcanoes erupting.

Robertson said while he does not know that earthquakes cause mud volcanoes to erupt, there have been studies in other parts of the world that have linked the two.