ISIS are believed to have blown up a major gas field in Syria, triggering an earthquake around the ancient city of Palmyra.

The Shaer gas field – one of the biggest in the central province of Homs – has been the site of fierce fighting between ISIS jihadists and Syrian government loyalists.

A monitoring group said ISIS reportedly blew up several of Shaer's pumping stations just as the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre recorded a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in the area.

'There were three huge explosions there carried out by ISIS on Monday,' said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He had no immediate word on casualties.

Ancient columns in the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site which was recaptured from ISIS by the Syrian government army in March. The city was reportedly struck by a 4.4.-magnitude earthquake on Monday after ISIS blew up a major gas field around 30 miles away

ISIS seized the Shaer field (pictured) last week, but Syrian armed forces and pro-government militias have fought hard to get it back

The explosions reportedly even shook Palmyra, the ancient oasis city about 30 miles southeast of Shaer, according to reports posted on Twitter.

Syria's army recaptured Palmyra from ISIS on March 27 after about 10 months of jihadist rule over the city.

ISIS seized the Shaer field last week, but Syrian armed forces and pro-government militias have fought hard to get it back.

Syrian state news agency SANA on Monday evening said government forces had seized a hilltop just west of the field. The agency did not mention the blasts.

A picture posted on Twitter purportedly shows ISIS fighters near the Shaer gas field. ISIS have targeted oil and gas facilities in Iraq and Syria to fund its self-proclaimed Islamic 'caliphate'

A monitoring group said ISIS triggered 'three huge explosions' at the Shaer gas field (above) on Monday

ISIS has targeted oil and gas facilities in Iraq and Syria to fund its self-proclaimed Islamic 'caliphate'.

More than 270,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

It comes as an expert warned that ISIS had an 'almost limitless' supply of chemical weapons such as mustard and chlorine gas.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who has recently returned from training Kurdish fighters how to use gas masks, said he had witnessed the effects of chlorine attacks first hand.

A Syrian soldier poses next to the bodies of ISIS militants killed during fierce fighting for control of the Shaer gas field, one of the biggest in the central province of Homs

Pictures posted on Twitter reportedly show tanks and other equipment seized from Syrian government troops by ISIS during battles over the Shaer gas field over the last few weeks

He told ITV News: 'ISIS, over the last two years, seem to be developing a chemical weapons capability.

'In the last few months, the Peshmerga say they have been attacked over 20 times by Islamic State using mustard agent, which they appear to be making themselves, and chlorine, from probably the largest chlorine factory in the Middle East in Mosul.

'So they have almost limitless amounts of this stuff and they appear to be very keen to use it.

'Chemical weapons are the ultimate terror weapon even though bullets and bombs cause more damage.'

ISIS is believed to have set up a special unit for chemical weapons research made up of Iraqi scientists who worked on weapons programmes under Saddam Hussein, as well as foreign experts.