By Admin. Updated 8:07 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, 2021, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4)
A swarm of volcano-tectonic (VC) earthquakes was reportedly felt in the communities of Fancy, Owia, and Sandy Bay, in the north and also in the north-north-western side of mainland St. Vincent.
According to a release issued on March 24, 2021, by the National Emergency Management Organization – NEMO, the swarm of volcano-tectonic (VC) earthquakes was recorded on March 23, 2021, by the network monitoring seismic activity at the La Soufriere volcano.
NEMO stated that starting at 16:53 local time on March 23, 2021, the monitoring network started recording the volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes.
The earthquakes were recorded below the volcano at depths down to 10 kilometers below the summit, the largest of which had a magnitude of 2.6.
NEMO said the VC earthquakes are normally associated with underground fractures of the rock mass and are commonly generated by magma pushing through the unyielding rock mass.
NEMO said the VC earthquakes happen from time to time and that the alert level remains at orange.
NEMO said no evacuation notice has been issued but that it is encouraging persons living in communities close to the volcano to heighten their preparedness if it becomes necessary to evacuate at short notice.
The swarm of VC earthquakes was recorded after NEMO recorded a swarm of low-frequency seismic events, starting at 10:30, on March 23, 2021.
That swarm of low-frequency seismic events lasted about 45 minutes, NEMO stated.
NEMO stated that the swarm of low-frequency events was “different from previous activity in that they were also recorded on other stations”.
“These events were probably associated with magma movement beneath the dome, although their depth cannot be determined. This is the first time that such a swarm has been seen since the seismic network was upgraded in early 2021,” NEMO added.
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