La Soufriere Volcano –
SCIENTIFIC UPDATEÂ
1.Seismic activity at La Soufrière, St Vincent has remained low since the tremor associated with the explosion and ash venting on 22 April. In the last 24 hours, only a few small earthquakes have been recorded.
2. Persistent steam emissions from a few regions inside the crater continue to be the dominant observable feature.
3. Thermal anomalies in the crater continue to be detected but do not indicate an explosive event is imminent but that there is a source of heat, most likely from a small body of magma left over, close to the floor of the Summit Crater.
4. Measurement of the sulphur dioxide (SO2) flux was carried out off the west coast on June 18th and yielded an average SO2 flux of 479 tons/day. SO2 can be an indicator that fresh magma from a deeper source is being degassed.
5. An increase in the smell of sulphur in the Richmond and Chateaubelair regions has also been reported. This can happen when the wind direction carries the SO2 plume towards this direction.
6. Work is underway to restore capacity lost during the explosive phase of the eruption. This will continue until the end of June 7.
7. The volcano continues to be in a state of unrest. While volcanic activity has been on a decline the continued presence of near-surface hot spots, daily seismic activity and substantial degassing is proof that the system is still in unrest and escalation in activity can still take place with little or no warning.
8. The volcano is at alert level ORANGE.
9. Visit the International Volcanic Hazard Health Network for volcanic ash information and resources: www.ivhhn.org/information
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Photo caption and credit: La Soufriere crater and summit for helicopter reconnaissance flight on June 21st, 2021. Javid Collins, UWITV.
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NEMO St. Vincent and the Grenadines
API – The Agency For Public Information: St. Vincent and the Grenadines
CDEMA – Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency
