The alert level on the La Soufrière Volcano has been lowered from YELLOW to GREEN, with effect from Wednesday 16 March 2022.
An official statement from the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) at the University of the West Indies (The UWI) reports that the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), on the advice of SRC scientists, took “the decision to lower the Volcanic Alert Level from Yellow to Green, effective March 16, 2022.”
“A GREEN alert means that seismic and fumarolic (steam vent) activity at the La Soufrière Volcano are at or below the historical level. No other unusual activity has been observed,” the release from the SRC points out.
It added: “Activity at the La Soufrière volcano is now considered to be at levels similar to background activity recorded prior to the 2020-2021 eruption. The overall trend of decreasing seismicity continued during the last month. No change in gas composition has been observed since measurements were taken in late January. This indicates that the plume chemistry has returned to its pre-eruption chemistry. There has been no significant change in deformation signal since May 2021.”
The alert level on La Soufrière Volcano was lowered previously from orange to yellow on September 15th, 2021. SRC scientists observe that since then, activities have lowered considerably or ceased.
Although the alert level has been downgraded, the La Soufrière trail remains closed due to the uneven and dangerous terrain, the release confirmed.
In addition, the SVG’s National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) continues to remind the public of the potential threat for lahars—flood waters mixed with ash, other volcanic materials, mud, debris, and rocks—after rainfall and the threat to persons living and moving across river valleys closer to the volcano.
NEMO also is urging residents and motorists in areas close to the volcano, as well as persons traversing rivers and streams during periods of heavy rainfall, to always remain vigilant.
