Two (2) volcano tectonic earthquakes have been located during this period, both in the Long Ground area at 1-2 km depth. A total of 12 long-period earthquakes were recorded on most of the seismometers, but these could not be located. There have been hardly any small long-period earthquakes recorded at the Gages seismic station; instead there have been a few episodes of broad band tremor.
The three EDM lines in the East were measured today including the original line from Castle Peak to Tar River Estate. These measurements show that there has essentially been no movement in the Castle Peak target in the last 3 weeks. This is a reassuring result as it shows there has been no significant deformation of Castle Peak. GPS measurements were made at St George's Hill, Reid's Hill and Harris' Lookout. The GPS station at Harris' Lookout was moved to Tar River this morning. The GPS results will not be processed until the end of the month.
One of the largest spines ever seen this century has grown near Castle Peak over the last 36 hours. This morning the spine was at a height of 835m (2725ft), that is 45 feet higher than Castle Peak. This afternoon the spine is close to collapsing and may cause a small amount of material to fall into the Tar River valley. The crater area was viewed during several helicopter flights this morning. The crater remains highly active with vigorous steaming and gas production. Further dome growth was seen in the western crater.
In a friendly football match between MVO, lead by Dr Ambeh, and the Carib National champions, Police, under the direction of DCP Telesford, MVO came out on top beating Police 2-1 in a keenly contested match. The poaching instinct of MVO striker "Pops" Morris and tough defence by Leroy Luke helped the winners. The Observatory of course remained manned throughout, with the eminent Dr John Shepherd holding the fort. A return match is planned for next Sunday at the same venue, Salem Park. The staff of the Observatory wish everyone a very Peaceful and Happy Christmas.