Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga and a team of directors left Monday morning for Manu’a to conduct a site visit of the islands, in order to check out the reports of volcano activity. The team was expected to return to Tutuila later in the day, yesterday.

This was confirmed by staff of the American Samoa Department of Homeland Security – TEMCO. Repeated efforts to get comments from the director of Homeland Security, Samana Semo Ve’ave’a were unsuccessful.

The latest report by the US Geological Survey released Sunday evening indicated there were “no significant changes over the past 24 hours”.

“Earthquake swarm in the Manuʻa islands of American Samoa continues, with a source most likely closer to Ta’u island than Vailuluʻu seamount.

“Five earthquakes were reported over the past 24 hours [Sunday]. A microseismometer (earthquake-detecting device) installed in Fitiʻuta village on Taʻu island yesterday [Saturday] is recording approximately 30- 60 earthquakes per hour; most events are too small to be felt. Estimated magnitudes of the largest earthquakes, including the felt events, are between magnitude 2 and 3.”

Scientists plan to install additional instruments to monitor earthquakes and other activity in the coming week, according to Dr Natalia Deligne of the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO).

 As reported earlier by Samoa News Dr Deligne said the source of the explosives sounds heard by the people of Manu’a is still unclear .

The earliest report of this activity is from July 26, according to interviews with Manu’a residents.

Over the weekend, the Manu’atele left Manu’a with residents who asked to be evacuated, but it’s unclear whether shelters have been opened for these residents.

Last Saturday a team from Tutuila consisting of Emergency Operations Center officials were in Manu’a and when their aircraft returned, it had residents of Manu’a aboard, mainly the elders.