BASSETERRE (CMC):
The Guadeloupe Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSG) has addressed concerns about smoke observed at Soufrière volcano on the island.
The observatory, in an online post on Friday, said many people would have photographed Soufrière in recent days and are wondering about the “smoke”.
The observatory said these fumaroles, or vents, have been present for years and, usually, they are hidden in the clouds and/or driven towards the south-southwest by the trade winds.
The OVSG said the fumaroles have been clearly visible in recent days, due to exceptional weather conditions.
It added that in the centre of the summit, there is the Tarissan fumarole, while to the right of the summit are the fumaroles of Cratère Sud and Gouffre 56.
Meanwhile, the observatory in its weekly update said a sequence of volcanic earthquakes began on Tuesday, March 26, at 5 p.m. (local time), in the volcano area.
It said 192 earthquakes were recorded with a very low magnitude measuring less than one, at a depth of less than 2.5 kilometres under the summit of the dome of Soufrière.