Devil's Woodyard cordoned off

Hindustan residents kept a close eye on the Devil’s Woodyard mud volcano today even as a 5.9 magnitude aftershock shook the country earlier in the day.

When Newsday visited the area today, caution tape had been used to cordon off the volcano.

Those who visited the site hoping to get at a look at the newest eruption were warned away by the caretaker, Ramesh Pooranlal who said although the site was not closed, he had been told no one was allowed close to the volcano.

The Princes Town Regional Corporation is responsible for the upkeep and management of the site, which is very popular with visitors.

The precautions were similar to those taken on February 13, 2018 when the volcano sent mud spewing over 15 feet in the air. The mud covered several acres and caused significant cracks in the earth around the volcano.

Pooranlal said he was there when the earthquake struck on Tuesday evening.

“I wasn’t sure what it was, because the volcano started making noise at the same time and the ground was shaking, so I ran across the car park and stood up by the trees, I say anytime it start to erupt, I would cut through the bush and run,” he said.

When the earthquake passed and Pooranlal could muster the courage, he saw the volcano had sent up a small amount of fresh mud.

He has lived in Hindustan, a stone’s throw away from the volcano, his entire life and witnessed the volcano erupt four times: in 1970, 1979, 1995 and in February.

“It does stay silent for years and then erupt all of a sudden. It is like the gas builds up in the ground until it becomes too much and it explodes.”

He said although there were fresh cracks in the ground around the volcano, there had been no more eruptions since Tuesday evening.

“Some of the footpath leading to the site was cracked and damaged, and there are cracks all around where the mud would have settled from February, plus a long crack through the grassy area by one of the sheds.”

Xavier Moonan of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists visited the site while Newsday was there.

Moonan walked along the mountain of mud left by February’s eruption, and after a visual assessment said he does not believe the volcano is likely to erupt again. He said the periodic belches of gas that could be heard coming from the volcano were remnants that would have come to the surface after the earthquake.

Although safety precautions are necessary, he said, he did not see any danger in walking around the site.

One resident who turned up with cellphone in hand to do a “live report” from the scene said he would brave the darkness of the night if necessary to get a close-up video. He said his social-media followers were anxious to see the latest eruption.

He waved away warnings, saying he too has lived in the area all his life and saw no danger in visiting the volcano.