Jump to content

La Soufrière (Saint Vincent)

Coordinates: 13°20′N 61°11′W / 13.333°N 61.183°W / 13.333; -61.183
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Adam850 (talk | contribs) at 15:28, 10 April 2021 (→2020–2021 activity: added citation and named the two RCCL ships). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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 / 13.333°N 61.183°W / 13.333; -61.183
Naming
Native nameSoufray Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help)
Geography
La Soufrière is located in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
La Soufrière
La Soufrière
LocationSaint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano (active)
Volcanic arc/beltLesser Antilles Volcanic Arc
Last eruptionApril 9, 2021[2] [3]
Climbing
Easiest routeFrom the windward (Atlantic) side

La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent (French pronunciation: [sufʁjɛʁ sɛ̃ vɛ̃sɑ̃]; Vincentian: Soufra) is an active volcano on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the highest peak in Saint Vincent, and has had five recorded explosive eruptions since 1718, most recently in April 2021.

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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[1] Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a crater lake and is the island's youngest and northernmost volcano.[4]

Eruptive history

La Soufrière has had five explosive eruptions during the recorded historical period.[2][5] It violently erupted in 1718, 1812,[6] 1902, 1979, and 2021. A famous painting by J. M. W. Turner of the eruption on 30 April 1812 belongs to the Victoria Gallery & Museum, University of Liverpool.[7][8][9] The Saint Vincent eruption of 6 May 1902 killed 1,680 people, just hours before the eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique that killed 29,000. The death zone, where almost all persons were killed, was mainly within Island Caribs habitat, an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. This last large remnant of Carib culture was destroyed as a result of the volcano.[10]

An eruption in April 1979 caused no casualties as advance warning allowed thousands of local residents to evacuate to nearby beaches.[11][12] The 1979 eruption created a large ash plume that reached Barbados, 160 km (100 miles) to the east of the volcano.[12]

2020–2021 activity

Volcanic plume seen on 9 April 2021 by the Sentinel-3B satellite

Increased volcanic activity was observed in December 2020; a new dome formed inside the crater.[13][14] Government officials began outreach efforts to residents in the area throughout December and January, in order to review evacuation plans in case the volcano erupted.[12] On 8 April 2021, after a sustained increase of volcanic and seismic activity over the preceding days, a "red alert" was declared and an evacuation order issued as an eruption was deemed to be imminent.[15][16] An explosive eruption occurred at 8:41 AM local time on the following day, with an ash plume reaching 32,000 ft (9,800 m) and drifting eastward towards the Atlantic ocean.[17][18] By then, approximately 20,000 people had evacuated the area surrounding the volcano.[12] The same day, it was warned the eruption was "likely to continue for days and possibly weeks",[19] and another explosive eruption, created by multiple pulses of ash, was reported in the afternoon of 9 April.[17][20] As of the evening of 9 April, the third explosive eruption was under way according to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre.[20]

Saint Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbados all agreed to take in evacuees. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves made it mandatory that people evacuating to shelters elsewhere on Saint Vincent take the COVID-19 vaccine.[18] Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced via Twitter that his country would be sending humanitarian supplies and risk experts.[2] Carnival Cruise Lines will send the Carnival Paradise and Carnival Legend to each transport up to 1,500 residents to neighbouring islands. The cruise line Royal Caribbean Group announced that it would be sending Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity Reflection as well.[2][21]

Etymology

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.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "La Soufrière" on Peakbagger.com Retrieved 1 October 2011
  2. ^ a b c d Tatiana Arias; Anne Claire Stapleton; Steve Almasy (9 April 2021). "St. Vincent on red alert for 'imminent' volcanic eruption". CNN. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ^ https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/soufriere-st-vincent.html
  4. ^ "Why the volcano erupting in the Caribbean has such a deadly reputation". Science. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. ^ http://uwiseismic.com/Downloads/LS_2021_Media%20Fact%20Sheet_Final_08042021.pdf
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Victoria Art Gallery Archived 21 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine on view July 2015
  8. ^ ‘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 BROKEN LINK
  9. ^ The Eruption of the Soufrière Mountains in the Island of St Vincent, 30 April 1812 | Art UK
  10. ^ Ober, Frederick Albion (1907). Our West Indian Neighbors: The Islands of the Caribbean Sea, " America's Mediterranean": Their Picturesque Features, Fascinating History, and Attractions for the Traveler, Nature-lover, Settler and Pleasure-seeker. J. Pott. pp. 375–.
  11. ^ "The eruption of Soufrière volcano, St Vincent April–June 1979". 1 November 1979.
  12. ^ a b c d Ernesto Cooke; Oscar Lopez (9 April 2021). "Volcano Erupts in Southern Caribbean". New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  13. ^ "New Dome Forms At La Soufriere, Experts Cannot Predict Eruption". News784. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Alert raised as SVG's volcano oozes magma". iWitness News. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  15. ^ "Evacuation Order Given As La Soufriere Could Erupt In Hours Or Days". News784. 8 April 2021.
  16. ^ Hodgson, Martin (8 April 2021). "St Vincent orders evacuations as volcanic eruption appears imminent". the Guardian.
  17. ^ a b Hodgson, Martin (9 April 2021). "St Vincent rocked by explosive eruptions at La Soufrière volcano". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  18. ^ a b COTO, DÁNICA. "Explosive eruption rocks volcano on Caribbean's St. Vincent". AP NEWS. Current; updated as the situation changes.
  19. ^ "Volcano threat forces evacuation on Caribbean island". RTÉ. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  20. ^ a b "La Soufriere Volcano Erupts On The Caribbean Island Of St Vincent". News784. 9 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises sending two ships to St. Vincent to help with humanitarian efforts | Royal Caribbean Group Press Center". presscenter.rclcorporate.com. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to La Soufrière (Saint Vincent).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Soufrière_(Saint_Vincent)&oldid=1017059498"