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WORLD NEWS Thursday 31 december 2020

Eastern Caribbean issues rare alerts for rumbling volcanoes

By DÁNICA COTO The Caribbean Disaster Mt. Pelee too is now active will," he said. Seventeen of the eastern
Associated Press Emergency Management once again. "It falls into the category of Caribbean's 19 live volca-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Agency said that scientists In early December, officials coincidence." noes are located on 11 is-
— Volcanoes that have observed an "effusive erup- in the French Caribbean He said the activity is evi- lands, with the remaining
been quiet for decades are tion within the crater, with territory issued a yellow dence that magma is two are underwater near
rumbling to life in the east- visible gas and steam" on alert due to seismic activity lurking underground and the island of Grenada, in-
ern Caribbean, prompting Tuesday. under the mountain. percolating toward the cluding one called Kick 'Em
officials to issue alerts in The government warned It was the first alert of its surface, although he add- Jenny that has been active
Martinique and St. Vincent those living near the volca- kind issued since the vol- ed that scientists still don't in recent years.q
and the Grenadines as sci- no to prepare to evacuate cano last erupted in 1932, have a very good under-
entists rush in to study ac- if needed, declaring an Fabrice Fontaine, with Mar- standing of what controls
tivity they say hasn't been orange alert that means tinique's Volcanological how quickly that happens.
observed in years. eruptions could occur with and Seismological Obser- "The answers are not entire-
The most recent warning less than 24 hours' notice. vatory, told The Associated ly satisfying," he said.
was issued late Tuesday La Soufriere, located near Press. "It's science that's still being
for La Soufriere volcano in the northern tip of the While the eastern Caribbe- researched."
St. Vincent and the Gren- main island of St. Vincent, an is one long chain of ac- Klemetti said the most ac- Sand Logic
adines, a chain of islands last erupted in 1979, and tive and extinct volcanoes, tive volcano in recent years
home to more than 100,000 a previous eruption in 1902 volcanologist Erik Klemetti, in the eastern Caribbean The famous Divi Divi tree is
people. killed some 1,600 people. at Denison University in has been Soufriere Hills actually called Watapana. They
Officials reported tremors, That occurred shortly be- Ohio, said the activity at in Montserrat, which has all point SouthWest due to the
trade winds.
strong gas emissions, for- fore Martinique's Mt. Pelee Mt. Pelee and La Soufriere erupted continuously since The tree works just like a
The tree works just like a
mation of a new volcanic erupted and destroyed the are not related. 1995, destroying the capi- compass. So, when you’re lost
dome and changes to its town of Saint-Pierre, killing "It's not like one volcano tal of Plymouth and killing look for one they are pointing to
crater lake. more than 30,000 people. starts erupting that others at least 19 people in 1997. the highrise hotels area.