Kick 'em Jenny: Submarine Volcano

Kick 'em Jenny is an active submarine volcano in the Grenadines located approximately 8 km (5 mi) north of Grenada and about 8 km (5 mi) west of Ronde Island. It is the southernmost active volcano in the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc and the only active submarine volcano.

Kick 'em Jenny rises about 1,300 m (4,265 ft) above the surrounding floor of the Caribbean Sea and has a summit crater about 100 m (330 ft) in diameter. Its summit is about 180 m (600 ft) below sea level.

Located on the steep inner western slope of the Lesser Antilles ridge, the volcano results from the subduction of the South American tectonic plate under the Caribbean tectonic plate to the east of this ridge and under the Lesser Antilles island arc.

Unknown until 1939, Kick 'em Jenny has had at least 13 notable eruptions since then, with the most recent eruption occurring in April 2017. Based on visual observations, the 1939 eruption was by far the largest.

The blasts are typically explosive and can produce tsunamis and ash clouds that can block visibility. The volcano is also a potential source of volcanic hazards, such as lava flows, mudflows, and pyroclastic flows. The lava produced is usually olivine basalts and basaltic andesites, much like the lava flows on neighboring islands.

Maritime Exclusion zone

The volcano is on the shipping route from St Vincent to Grenada, which is a hazard to shipping and fishing in the area. Therefore, the Seismic Research Centre of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, monitors a Maritime Exclusion Zone.

The zone typically encompasses a circle with a radius of 1.5 km (1 mi) from the volcano's center and is marked on marine charts. However, during periods of high seismic activity, the zone is expanded to a 5 km (3.1 mi) radius.

_{Map depicting the location of the major volcanoes of Grenada and vicinity, West Indies}