St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on Monday asked the population to take precautions against the possible eruption of La Soufriere volcano.
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Over the weekend, volcanologists from the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center (UWI-SRC) carried out a field trip to the lava dome.
By collecting volcanic materials, they concluded that if the dome continues to grow, "it can get out of the crater and move down the volcano's flanks into the sea," as reported by local outlet News784.
"An explosive eruption may occur following the effusive phase or following a break in the ongoing eruption," it added.
Professor Richard Robertson reported that La Soufriere has been spewing incandescent material that can reach temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius.
Nevertheless, he explained that "the dome is glowing and not erupting explosively... if it grows to an explosive phase, people will hear, see a difference, and clearly know there’s a need to take action," as outlet Loop reported.
La Soufriere, which is a volcano with a crater lake, erupted violently in 1718, 1812, 1902, 1971, and 1979.