New vent at Soufriere volcano – but St Lucians don't need to panic

The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) in St Lucia has discovered a new vent at the Soufriere volcano.

But experts have said the stratovolcano poses no harm to anyone on the island.

Velda Joseph, director of Nemo, told the media that the vent was discovered two weeks ago.

“There is no cause for alarm with the system in Soufriere pertinent to that new vent that was discovered,” she said.

'Venting'

People had been concerned that the there was potentially deadly activity within Soufriere because ash was coming out.

It is not the case that the volcano is close to erupting, she added, with the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) at the University of the West Indies stating that a number of other factors have be considered.

The SRC is the official source of information for earthquakes and volcanoes in the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean.

According to Joseph, a report of the new vent was made directly to the SRC and that the head of the centre, Dr Richard Robertson, has indicated that it was not a phreatic explosion but a ‘venting’.

A phreatic eruption is defined as a steam eruption without lava ejection.