The mid-Atlantic volcanic island of San Jorge, where it grew up, has been rocked by more than 14,000 small earthquakes in the past seven days, Reuters writes.

Volcanologist Fatima Viveiros and other experts fear that the tremors, which have reached 3.3 on the Richter scale, could cause a volcanic eruption for the first time since 1808 or a powerful earthquake.

Soil gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur are indicators of volcanic activity, and Viveiros and her team have been battling San Jorge's rain and strong winds for days looking for answers. As long as the numbers remain normal.

The sudden increase in seismic activity on the island is reminiscent of the earthquakes before the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma last year, about 1,400 km southeast of the Azores. In 85 days, this eruption destroyed thousands of properties and crops.

Viveiros says that the San Jorge volcanic system is similar to that of the Spanish island.