Two Dormant Volcanoes In The Caribbean Have Begun To Rumble And Smoke

Two volcanoes that have been dormant for years have begun to rumble and smoke in the Caribbean.

Officials in Martinique and St Vincent and the Grenadines have issued warnings to local residents as scientists head out to study the volcanoes.

On Tuesday 29 December a warning was put out for the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines, an island with a population of around 100,000, after gas emissions and a new volcanic dome were formed along with changes to its crater lake.

Shutterstock/Vadim Nefedoff

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said there had been an 'effusive eruption within the crater, with visible gas and steam'.

Officials have declared an 'orange alert' which means eruptions could occur with less than 24 hours' notice and have warned those who live near to the volcano to be prepared in case evacuation is necessary, the Associated Press reports.

The La Soufriere volcano last erupted in 1979 - an earlier eruption, in the 1900s, killed around 1,600 people.

Meanwhile, Martinique's Mount Pelée, which killed 30,000 people in 1902, is also active again.

Martinique's Mount Pelée in 1902

Officials in Martinique issued a yellow alert in early December after activity was recorder under the mountain.

The last time an alert such as this was issued over the volcano was in 1932.

Despite the two volcanoes being near each other, the activity is is actually just an unusual coincidence.

Volcanologist Erik Klemetti, from Denison University in Ohio, told AP: "It´s not like one volcano starts erupting that others will.

"It falls into the category of coincidence."

He went on to say that the recent activity shows there is magma underground that could be heading towards the surface.

But added that as yet scientists still don't have a thorough understanding of what controls how quickly all of that happens.

PA

He added: "The answers are not entirely satisfying. It´s science that´s still being researched."

The eastern Caribbean has a chain of both active and extinct volcanoes, with Klemetti telling AP the most recent active volcano is Soufriere Hills in Montserrat, which has been continuously erupting since 1995.

In 1997, it destroyed Montserrat capital Plymouth and killed at least 19 people.

Topics: World News, Volcano

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19