American volcanologist Jess Phoenix, who was recently on the island of Terceira to take part in the GlexSummit, says that the small earthquakes being felt on the island are a sign that “the system is waking up,” but stresses that if there is cause for concern, scientists will warn.
“There are earthquakes that are caused by faults, where the Earth is colliding or moving away, and there are earthquakes caused by magma moving underground, which are those smaller earthquakes that are felt in a place like Terceira. We call them volcano-tectonic earthquakes. And these tell us that the system is waking up. This is something interesting and fascinating for us scientists, but for the public we have to be very clear. We have to tell people that we are paying attention and that we will inform them if there is any reason to worry,” she said in an interview with the newspaper Diário de Notícias, published yesterday.
The volcanologist, a scientific ambassador for the Union of Concerned Scientists, acknowledged that it is normal for people to be “worried” when they frequently feel small earthquakes but assured that there is no reason for alarm.
“We have excellent scientists who monitor these things on a daily basis, and the primary objective is always to keep everyone safe,” he said.
Jess Phoenix pointed out, however, that scientists can’t accurately predict the start of a volcanic eruption.
“We can only say that it’s more likely that we’ll see an eruption in a certain period of time, but we can’t say exactly that it’s next Wednesday at 3pm. I wish we could, but no, it’s not possible yet,” he explained, pointing out that volcanology is a modern science and that researchers are still learning how to live better with volcanoes.

For the volcanologist, “communication is key to doing good science.”
“It’s not enough to understand that this volcano could erupt, that that one is releasing more gas and that the type of gas in another one has changed. That doesn’t matter if we can’t tell people about it, because they’re the ones who live on active volcanoes like these here in the Azores,” he stressed.
Jess Phoenix pointed out that, worldwide, 500 million people are living in active volcano danger zones.
“That’s a lot of people who could see their days ruined if we don’t do the best job possible, if we don’t educate them and give them the best tools to deal with the natural risks in the area where they live. And that means knowledge,” she stressed.
As a volcanologist, the American confessed her fascination with the Azores and said that visiting the region to participate in GlexSummt was “a dream come true.”
“This particular set of islands really fascinated me, because it is located at what we call a triple junction, where three of the great tectonic plates meet. So this region is proof that our planet is constantly living, changing and recreating itself,” he said.

At the end of June, the Santa Bárbara volcano alert level in Terceira island was raised to V3 (on a scale of 0 to 6).

in Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.