Recent studies show groundwater on the flanks of Saba's dormant Mount Scenery volcano is 50 degrees warmer than during previous readings, said the Netherlands Antilles secretary of state, Ensley Bulo.

The discovery is ``reason for some concern,'' he said.

The government said it will set up an observatory in nearby St. Maarten by October to keep an eye on Mount Scenery and the Quill Volcano on St. Eustatius. About 1,200 people live on Saba, and 1,900 live on nearby St. Eustatius. Saba is 150 miles east of Puerto Rico.

``This observatory is to provide safety to the population of both islands by timely warning in the event of an imminent volcanic eruption,'' Bulo said. Observatories are also located on Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat and Trinidad.

There are 14 volcanoes in the Caribbean, and in the last 350 years there have been eruptions in St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, Nevis, Dominica and Montserrat.

Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano has forced evacuation of the island's largest towns and crippled its tourism-driven economy.