La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent () is an active
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
on the
Caribbean island
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
of
Saint Vincent in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...
. It is the highest peak in Saint Vincent, and has had five recorded explosive eruptions since 1718. The latest eruptive activity began on 27 December 2020 with the slow extrusion of a dome of lava, and culminated in a series of explosive events between 9 and 22 April 2021.
Geography and structure
At , La Soufrière is the highest peak on Saint Vincent as well as the highest point in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
["La Soufrière" on Peakbagger.com](_blank)
Retrieved 1 October 2011 Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a
crater lake
Crater Lake (Klamath language, Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The ...
and is the island's youngest and northernmost volcano. During periods of inactivity, visitors can view the volcanic crater by following a hiking trail that ascends through rainforest to the rim.
Eruptive history
La Soufrière has had five explosive eruptions during the recorded historical period.
It violently erupted in 1718, 1812, 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
The Victoria Gallery & Museum (VG&M) is an art gallery and museum run by the University of Liverpool in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. ,
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
.
Eruption of 1902
The Saint Vincent eruption of 6 May 1902 killed 1,680 people, just hours before the
eruption
Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often ...
of
Mount Pelée
Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée ( ; french: Montagne Pelée, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Montann Pèlé, meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain") is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas departm ...
on
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
that killed 29,000. On St. Vincent, a further 600 people were injured or burned and 4,000 were left homeless. The death zone, where almost all persons were killed, was mainly within
Island Caribs
The Kalinago, also known as the Island Caribs or simply Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America, but they spoke an unrelated languag ...
habitat, an indigenous people of the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
in the Caribbean. This last large remnant of Carib culture was destroyed as a result of the volcano.
By 1907, the volcano was considered inactive, and the crater lake had reformed.
Activity in 1971
A minor event occurred in 1971, altering the structure of the volcano's crater lake.
Eruption of 1979
An eruption on April 13, 1979 caused no casualties as advance warning allowed thousands of local residents to evacuate to nearby beaches.
The 1979 eruption created a large ash plume that reached
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
, to the east of the volcano.
A newspaper report stated that two infants had died during the evacuation of some 1,500 people, though the report was not confirmed. Financial and material aid was provided by the United Kingdom and USA.
2020–2021 activity
Increased seismic activity was detected in December 2020; and an
effusive eruption
An effusive eruption is a type of volcanic eruption in which lava steadily flows out of a volcano onto the ground.
Overview
There are two major groupings of eruptions: effusive and explosive. Effusive eruption differs from explosive eruption, ...
began to form a new
lava dome
In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions on ...
inside the summit crater on 27 December.
Government officials began outreach efforts to residents in the area throughout December and January, in order to review evacuation plans in case volcanic activity at the volcano escalated.
The effusive eruption continued into January, during which time the lava dome had grown between wide and long, a growth which continued in February as the lava dome was also releasing gas and steam plumes from its top. By 22 March 2021, the lava dome was tall, wide and long.
Sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...
emissions were being generated from the top of the dome. 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 explosive phase of the eruption was deemed to be imminent.
An explosive eruption occurred at 8:41 AM
AST on April 9, 2021, with an ash plume reaching approximately and drifting eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean.
By then, approximately 16,000 people had evacuated the area surrounding the volcano.
Subsequent explosive eruptions, created by multiple pulses of ash, were reported in the afternoon
and evening of 9 April, according to the
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...
Seismic Research Centre.
Explosions continued over the following days, with plumes reaching nearby Barbados and covering the island with ash. Residents were also faced with power outages and cut off water supplies, and the
airspace
Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as aerospace, which is the ...
over the island was closed due to the presence of smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash. There were further reports of continued explosive activity and
pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of bu ...
s. The final explosion took place on 22 April 2021.
The eruption, rated as VEI-4 on the Explosivity Index, was comparable in size to the eruptions of 1979.
Support of inhabitants
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...
,
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
,
Antigua
Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...
and Barbados all agreed to take in evacuees. Prime Minister
Ralph Gonsalves
Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP). encouraged people evacuating to shelters elsewhere on Saint Vincent to take the
COVID-19 vaccine
A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19).
Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...
.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister
Jorge Arreaza
Jorge Alberto Arreaza Montserrat (Venezuelan ; born 6 June 1973) is a Venezuelan politician who has held several important positions in the administration of President Hugo Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro. From August 2017 to August ...
announced via
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that his country would be sending humanitarian supplies and risk experts.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue color scheme. This ...
sent the ''
Carnival Paradise
''Carnival Paradise'' (formerly ''Paradise'') is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, she was floated out on 29 January 1998, and christened as ''Paradise'' by Pau ...
'' and ''
Carnival Legend
''Carnival Legend'' is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, she was floated out on December 17, 2001, and christened by English actress and author Dame Judi Denc ...
'' to each transport up to 1,500 residents to neighbouring islands. The cruise line
Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a global cruise holding company incorporated in Liberia and based in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival C ...
sent ''
Serenade of the Seas
GTS ''Serenade of the Seas'' is a operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was completed in 2003.
History
The ship was built at Meyer Werft yard in Papenburg, Germany and is Ship registration, registered in Nassau, Bahamas. Her Ship spons ...
'' and ''
Celebrity Reflection''.
[
Assistance and emergency financial support was being provided by several nearby islands, the ]United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and agencies such as the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. The first significant offer of long-term funding, of US$20 million, was announced on 13 April 2021 by the World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
.
See also
* List of volcanic eruptions by death toll
Volcanic eruptions can be highly explosive. Some volcanoes have undergone catastrophic eruptions, killing large numbers of humans or other life forms. This list documents volcanic eruptions by human death toll.
Volcanic eruptions
See also
* ...
References
External links
The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre
National Emergency Management Organisation
of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program , Soufrière St. Vincent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soufriere
20th-century volcanic events
Active volcanoes
VEI-4 volcanoes
Phreatic eruptions
Peléan eruptions
Mountains of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Mountains of the Caribbean
Holocene stratovolcanoes
Volcanic crater lakes
Volcanoes of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
21st-century volcanic events
19th-century volcanic events
18th-century volcanic events