Undersea volcano rumbling off Grenada

An active undersea volcano off the northern coast of Grenada was rumbling Thursday, as regional seismic authorities warned an eruption in less than 24 hours but said there was no imminent tsunami.

The Kick 'em Jenny submarine volcano has shown signs of elevated seismic activities since July 11, according to the Seismic Research Center of the University of the West Indies.

The regional seismic unit recorded more than 200 micro and small earthquakes around the area before "a strong continuous signal" was observed Thursday.

The center therefore raised the alert level on the volcano from yellow to orange, which means an eruption of the volcano may begin with less than 24 hours' notice.

Radio stations in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago were asked to be placed on alert and the public were advised to keep informed with the updates.

All shipping should stay outside the first exclusion zone which is 1.5 km from the summit of the volcano, while non-essential shipping such as pleasure craft should stay 5 km away from the summit, according to the center.

Following an emergency meeting with the Grenadian authorities, Lloyd Lynch, a researcher with the research center, told local media more minor eruptions can be expected before the volcano goes back to sleep.

However, Lynch stressed that Kick 'em Jenny remains well below the water surface and there was no immediate threat of a major tsunami.

The Kick 'em Jenny was discovered in 1939. Since then, at least 12 times of eruption have been observed, but no casualties or injuries were reported. Endi