Government Information Service

The Volcanic Explanation
For The 24 Hour Period Ending 7 AM On Monday March 24, 1997
A Presentation Of The Government Information Services
In Conjunction With The MVO.

The current alert level is AMBER


The activity at the Soufriere Hills Volcano has reduced over the last 24 hours.

The seismicity has been dominated by small to moderate rockfall signals and there was one strong volcano-tectonic earthquake which occurred at 3.35am this morning.

Overnight the dome was very clear and was glowing markedly in several areas, it was obvious that the south face of the January dome is the most active area, this is to the north of Galway's Soufriere.

It was also observed that the pre-September dome material directly above Galways Wall was also glowing, there have been several pyroclastic flows from the Galways Wall over the last few days.

The helicopter is now back in service and as the clear weather continues, scientists hope to have a full survey of the dome and surrounding areas from the air later this morning (Monday).

The volcano remains active and the dome is now larger and higher than ever before. It continues to grow and is very unstable on several faces. Scientists expect further pyroclastic flows and ash clouds in the near future. Everyone is asked to be vigilent and not to be in Zones A, B, and C during night time.

Government Information Service