UWI seismic team monitoring St Vincent volcano

The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI SRC) sent a three-person team from the UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI SRC) to St.Vincent on Thursday to provide scientific support and monitoring of the ongoing eruption at the La Soufriѐre volcano.

In a release, the SRC said the team, comprising geologist Prof Richard Robertson, instrumentation engineer Lloyd Lynch and engineering technician Ian Juman, left Trinidad via a regional security system (RSS) aircraft.

The team was able to leave under travel exemptions from the TT government after receiving negative covid19 tests. They will be subject to a working quarantine when they arrive in St Vincent, which will allow them to strengthen the seismic and GPS networks used to monitor the volcano, while having limited contact with anyone outside the team. Public awareness products recently developed under the Volcano Ready Communities Project will also be distributed. The team will have a second covid19 test after seven days.

The release said there had been no significant change at the volcano overnight. Materials and magma continue to ooze to the surface without associated seismic activity. Dome-building continues, as the dome is slightly larger than on Tuesday. The eruption is still ongoing and the alert level remains at orange –elevated fumarolic activity.

The lava dome is being monitored by the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) of St Vincent, as well as the UWI-SRC.

All residents living in communities closer to the volcano (red and orange zones) are asked to be on the alert for any increased activities.

Vincentians are being reminded that access to the volcano is strictly prohibited at present, as this continues to be a very dangerous situation. The public is also being asked to refrain from tampering with scientific equipment at the volcano, as this would put the population at greater risk.