La Soufrière (volcano)

La Soufrière (Vincentian Creole: Soufra) or Soufrière Saint Vincent is an active volcano on the island of Saint Vincent in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. Many volcanoes in the Caribbean are named Soufrière (French: "sulfur outlet"). These include Soufrière Hills on Montserrat and La Grande Soufrière on Guadeloupe, the subject of Werner Herzog's 1977 film La Soufrière.

Not to be confused with Soufrière Hills or La Grande Soufrière.

La Soufrière
Highest point
Elevation1,234 m (4,049 ft) [1]
Prominence1,234 m (4,049 ft) [1]
Listing
Coordinates13°20′N 61°11′W 
Naming
Native nameSoufray
Geography
La Soufrière
LocationSaint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano (active)
Volcanic arc/beltLesser Antilles Volcanic Arc
Last eruption2021
Climbing
Easiest routeFrom the windward (Atlantic) side

Geography and structure

At 1,234 m (4,049 ft), La Soufrière is the highest peak on Saint Vincent as well as the highest point in the island country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[1] Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a crater lake and is the island's youngest and northernmost volcano.

Eruptive history
Volcanic dust from Mount Soufriere, 1902

La Soufrière violently erupted in 1718, 1812,[2] 1902 and 1979. The Saint Vincent eruption of 6 May 1902, just hours before the eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique, killed 1,680 people. The death zone, where almost all persons were killed, was close to entirely Carib. This last large remnant of Carib culture was destroyed,[3] the island of Dominica's Carib Territory being much smaller in comparison at that time.

The last recorded eruption in April 1979 resulted in no casualties due to advanced warning.[4]

A famous painting by J. M. W. Turner of the eruption on 30 April 1812 belongs to the Victoria Gallery & Museum, University of Liverpool.[5][6][7]

In December 2020, there is renewed activity with a new dome forming inside the crater.[8][9]

See also

References
  1. "La Soufrière" on Peakbagger.com Retrieved 1 October 2011
  2. "Souffrier Mountain". The Edinburgh Gazetteer, or Geographical Dictionary, Volume 5. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable & Co., Hurst, Robinson & Co., London, and Thomas Ward, Philadelphia. 1822. pp. 680–682. NB This particular volume was the gift of Jared Sparks to Harvard College Library.
  3. Frederick Albion Ober, Our West Indian Neighbors: The Islands of the Caribbean Sea, " America's Mediterranean", 2010 republish of 1908 book by Nabu Press ISBN 978-1-145-31194-7 book
  4. "The eruption of Soufrière volcano, St Vincent April–June 1979". 1 November 1979.
  5. Victoria Art Gallery Archived 21 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine on view July 2015
  6. ‘The Eruption of the Souffrier Mountains, in the Island of St Vincent, at Midnight, on the 30th of April, 1812, from a Sketch Taken at the Time by Hugh P. Keane, Esqre’, Joseph Mallord William Turner, exhibited 1815 | Tate
  7. The Eruption of the Soufrière Mountains in the Island of St Vincent, 30 April 1812 | Art UK
  8. "New Dome Forms At La Soufriere, Experts Cannot Predict Eruption". News784. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  9. "Alert raised as SVG's volcano oozes magma". iWitness News. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.


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