The ongoing monitoring exercise at La Soufriere Volcano will receive a boost this week, with the arrival of two Scientists from the Seismic Research Centre based at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.
The National Emergency Management Organisation, NEMO says Dr. Thomas Christopher and Dr. Adam Stinton will arrive here later this week, to join the three-member team which is already here.
NEMO says they are expected to gather data from the dome and crater, through temperature and photo-grammetry measurements and gas measurements, using a MultiGAS and Spec-trometer.
NEMO says the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, CDEMA is finalizing helicopter support for the Seismic Research Centre team to install equipment, and collect samples from the summit of the volcano.
The Seismic Research team commenced installation of a Seismic Station at Owia yesterday, and will continue installation in Fancy and areas closer to the volcano, during the course of this week.
Installation of a GPS Station at Georgetown was successful, with a total of three stations currently streaming data to the Seismic Research Centre.
NEMO says weather conditions did not allow for reconnaissance flights on Saturday or Sunday, but analysis of footage obtained from a drone flight over the volcano on Saturday, indicates that the dome is continuing to grow.
The dome which broke through the crater floor on December 27th, on the south-west perimeter of the existing dome, continues to grow within the crater of La Soufriere, and has an ellip-soid shape, with growth expanding in a westerly direction.
The alert level remains at orange, and the volcano continues to exude magma on the surface, and steam can still be observed from the Belmont Observatory.
And, NEMO says the continuing Hot Spot anomaly being recorded by NASA FIRMS, results from the presence of the new dome. It said Satellite imagery obtained from the Monitoring Unrest from Space or MOUNTS project, indicate that the dome is detectable from orbiting earth satellites.
NEMO has suspended all face to face community meetings to update residents on the present state of La Soufriere Volcano until further notice, due to the revised protocols for mass gathering implemented by the Health Services Sub-Committee. Information to communities will be communicated virtually.
NEMO is reminding the public that no evacuation order or notice has been issued, and continues to appeal to the public to desist from visiting La Soufriere Volcano until the scientists advise that it is safe to do so.
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