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Geological study reassures Boquete residents

Barú volcano caused tremors in Boquete, scientists said. No imminent eruption is expected.

LA PRENSA

Earth shaking:Volcanic activity caused tremors that scared residents in the Boquete area in 2006.968199

The Secretaría Nacional para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (Senacyt) finally revealed details of the geological study it had been conducting around Barú volcano since January 2007, and confirmed that volcanic activity there was responsible for the tremors of May 2006 that alarmed the Boquete community.

Scientists were quick to give assurance that there is no indication that an eruption will occur in the near future.

"The current condition of the volcano allows us to be aware at least a month or several months before a new eruption occurs," national secretary of Ciencia y Tecnología Julio Escobar said.

Escobar explained how the tremors resulted from very deep, underground volcanic activity, in which gases that lubricate the tectonic plates were released, causing the ground to shift.

Workers in the highlands of Chiriquí have always wondered why the ancient Barriles culture disappeared so suddenly. Some archeologists believe they might have been driven away by a volcanic eruption.

The Barriles culture flourished between 300 and 600 AD and is considered an important pre-Columbian indigenous population, although little is known about them. They left behind numerous artifacts.