La Grande Soufrière
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La Grande Soufrière ( en, "big
sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...
outlet"), 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 peri ...
on the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
island of
Basse-Terre Basse-Terre (, ; ; gcf, label=Guadeloupean Creole, Bastè, ) is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefecture'' (capital city) of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located o ...
, in
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and ...
. It is the highest mountain peak in 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 be ...
, rising 1,467 m high. The last
magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natura ...
tic eruption was in 1580±50 during which the current
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 ...
was emplaced. More recent eruptions have been
phreatic ''Phreatic'' is a term used in hydrology to refer to aquifers, in speleology to refer to cave passages, and in volcanology to refer to a type of volcanic eruption. Hydrology The term phreatic (the word originates from the Greek , meaning "we ...
in type. On February 8, 1843, an eruption of La Grande Soufrière caused by an earthquake killed over 5,000 people. Significant seismic activity in 1976 led to a mass evacuation of the island's 72,000 residents. There was a bitter, and well-publicized, controversy between scientists
Claude Allègre Claude Allègre (; born 31 March 1937) is a French politician and scientist. Scientific work The main scientific area of Claude Allègre was geochemistry. Allègre co-authored an ''Introduction to geochemistry'' in 1974. Since the 1980s, he ...
and
Haroun Tazieff Haroun Tazieff (Warsaw, 11 May 1914 – Paris, 2 February 1998) was a Tatar, Belgian and French volcanologist and geologist. He was a famous cinematographer of volcanic eruptions and lava flows, and the author of several books on volcanoes. He ...
on whether evacuation should occur. Allègre held that inhabitants should be evacuated, just in case, while Tazieff held that the ''Soufrière'' was harmless. The
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...
decided to evacuate, erring on the side of covering his back. The volcano erupted on August 30, 1976, but much less severely than predicted by the Allègre side. There were no fatalities and no significant damage, except for the large cost of the evacuation. While the island was deserted, the German filmmaker
Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...
traveled to the abandoned town of Basse-Terre to find a peasant who had refused to leave his home on the slopes of the volcano. His journey is recorded in the film '' La Soufrière''.


Gallery

Image:Guadeloupe 116 - Sommet de la Soufrière 1467m - Guadeloupe.jpg Image:Guadeloupe 123 - Massif de la Soufrière 1467m - Chemin des bains jaunes.jpg Image:Guadeloupe 108 - lac Flamarion - sommet de la citerne 1155m - massif de la Soufrière.jpg Image:Soufriere Guadeloupe Gouffre Tarissan.JPG Image:Eboulement Faujas - La Soufrière - Guadeloupe.JPG


See also

*
Lists of volcanoes These lists cover volcanoes by type and by location. Type * List of extraterrestrial volcanoes * List of largest volcanic eruptions * List of shield volcanoes * List of stratovolcanoes * List of subglacial volcanoes * List of submarine volca ...
*
Guadeloupe National Park Guadeloupe National Park (french: Parc national de la Guadeloupe) is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve ...


References

*
OVSG : Observatoire volcanologique et sismologique de Guadeloupe

Parc National de la Guadeloupe, manager of the top of the Soufrière
Mountains of Guadeloupe Volcanoes of Guadeloupe Stratovolcanoes of France Active volcanoes Natural history of Guadeloupe Mountains of the Caribbean Highest points of French national parks {{Guadeloupe-geo-stub