Kick 'em Jenny

Geography & Climate

Kick 'em Jenny is located in Grenada, within the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the broader Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions. Situated at 12.30° N, 61.64° W in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. With an elevation of -185 meters — below sea level — Kick 'em Jenny is a submarine or submerged volcanic feature. Submarine volcanoes make up the majority of Earth's volcanic activity, though most eruptions go unobserved beneath the ocean surface. The volcanic landform is characterized as a composite, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Kick 'em Jenny sits in a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another, creating intense heat and pressure that generates magma. Subduction zones are responsible for many of the world's most explosive volcanoes and deadliest eruptions. For communities in Grenada near Kick 'em Jenny, this tectonic setting means the volcano is capable of producing powerful explosive eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars that can threaten populated areas within tens of kilometers of the summit. The dominant rock type is basalt / picro-basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Kick 'em Jenny has 15 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 1000 CE to 2017 CE. The most powerful recorded event was a gentle, effusive event in 1939 CE, reaching VEI 1 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. This level of eruptive frequency indicates a persistently active volcanic system that warrants ongoing monitoring. With eruptive activity as recently as 2017 CE, Kick 'em Jenny remains an actively monitored volcano.

Significance

With 15 recorded eruptions, Kick 'em Jenny has a substantial eruptive history that provides valuable data for understanding volcanic behavior and assessing future hazards in the Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions region. Given its recent activity, Kick 'em Jenny is closely monitored by geological survey organizations to provide early warning of future unrest.

GVP Reference Summary

Kick 'em Jenny, an active submarine volcano 8 km off the N shore of Grenada, rises 1,300 m from the sea floor. Recent bathymetric surveys have shown evidence for a major arcuate collapse structure, which was the source of a submarine debris avalanche that traveled more than 15 km W. Bathymetry also revealed another submarine cone to the SE, Kick 'em Jack, and submarine lava domes to its S. These and subaerial tuff rings and lava flows at Ile de Caille and other nearby islands may represent a single large volcanic complex. Numerous eruptions have occurred since 1939, mostly documented by acoustic signals. Prior to the 1939 eruption, when an eruption cloud rose 275 m above the ocean and was witnessed by a large number of people in northern Grenada, there had been no written mention of the volcano. Eruptions have involved both explosive activity and the quiet extrusion of lava flows and lava domes in the summit crater; deep rumbling noises have sometimes been heard onshore. Recent eruptions have modified the morphology of the summit crater.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program