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High levels of seismicity at Kick em’ Jenny submarine volcano, Grenada

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High levels of seismicity are being detected at Grenada's Kick em’ Jenny submarine volcano, the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center (UWI SRC) reports. The last known eruption of this volcano took place on March 29, 2017.

Since the episode began during the afternoon of September 30, 2018, quite a number of events have taken place, the center said. The largest of these events occurred during the early morning hours of October 1. The quakes took place at 03:24 AST, 03:35 AST and 03:56 AST with magnitudes 3.5, 3.5 and 3.3 respectively.

The UWI SRC is currently analyzing the data and will update further after complete processing.

The National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) wishes to inform marine interest and the general public that the threat level remains at YELLOW – which means that the exclusion zone of 1.5 km (0.9 miles) must continue to be observed.

NaDMA in collaboration with the UWI SRC will continue to monitor, update and inform as necessary.

The UWI Seismic Research Centre is the official and leading authority on geologic hazards in the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean. 

Geological summary

Kick 'em Jenny, a historically active submarine volcano 8 km (5 miles) off the north shore of Grenada, rises 1 300 m (0.8 miles) from the sea floor. Recent bathymetric surveys have shown evidence for a major arcuate collapse structure that was the source of a submarine debris avalanche that traveled more than 15 km (9.3 miles) to the west.

Bathymetry also revealed another submarine cone to the SE, Kick 'em Jack, and submarine lava domes to its south. These and subaerial tuff rings and lava flows at Ile de Caille and other nearby islands may represent a single large volcanic complex.

Numerous historical eruptions, mostly documented by acoustic signals, have occurred at Kick 'em Jenny since 1939, when an eruption cloud rose 275 m (0.17 miles) above the sea surface. Prior to the 1939 eruption, which was witnessed by a large number of people in northern Grenada, there had been no written mention of Kick 'em Jenny.

Eruptions have involved both explosive activity and the quiet extrusion of lava flows and lava domes in the summit crater; deep rumbling noises have sometimes been heard onshore. Historical eruptions have modified the morphology of the summit crater. (GVP)

Featured image: Kick em' Jenny. Credit: NaDMA

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