by Linda Straker
- Various muster points within northern and western parishes
- Elevation in seismicity began on Friday, 9 and ceased on Sunday, 11 February
- Alert level for Kick ’em Jenny remains at YELLOW (volcano is restless)
More than 3,000 seismic activities or tremors were recorded at earthquake monitoring stations in Grenada because of Elevation in Seismicity at the Kick ’em Jenny Submarine Volcano, which began on Friday, 9 and ceased on Sunday, 11 February 2024.
“The University of the West Indies, Seismic Research Centre (UWI SRC) has advised the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) of increased seismic activity at the Kick ’em Jenny (KeJ) Submarine Volcano beginning at 23:14 on Friday, 9 February 2024. Between 23:14 on 9 February and 3 am on 11 February 2024, there has been increased seismic activity at Kick ’em Jenny (KeJ),” said a NaDMA news release. NaDMA’s mission is to develop a culture of disaster risk reduction among all sectors of society within Grenada.
“The count of events up to that time was 3,400, with the largest measuring magnitude 3.3 which was recorded on 10 February. Since 3 am on 11 February, the activity subsided in magnitude and frequency to almost a complete stop. It should be noted that the level of activity at the Kick ’em Jenny Submarine Volcano can either increase, decrease, or remain at normal readings,” the release advised.
Warning that activity levels can fluctuate, the release said that the UWI SRC will continue to monitor the submarine volcano and provide updated analyses of the situation. There are currently 4 fully functional seismic stations in the north of Grenada monitoring Kick ’em Jenny on a 24-hour basis.
“Based on the information from UWI SRC, the alert level for Kick ’em Jenny remains at YELLOW. This means that all marine interests should maintain the exclusion zone of 1.5 km. The National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates,” the release said.
Level yellow means that the volcano is restless; seismicity or fumarolic activity, or both are above the historical level at this volcano, or other unusual activity has been observed (this activity will be specified at the time that the alert level is raised).
On Monday, Ruth Roberts-Jacob, Communications Officer for NaDMA, said that her agency has yet to receive any updates from SRC since issuing the advisory on Sunday. “For us, that means that conditions have not changed,” she said.
There are various muster points within the northern and western parishes of St George, St Mark, St John and St Patrick, in the event there is a need for people to evacuate.
