Eruption of Soufrière Volcano on St. Vincent Island, 1971-1972

Abstract

The Soufrière volcano in St. Vincent erupted from October 1971 to March 1972, as 80 x 10⁶ m³ of basaltic andesite lava was quietly extruded inside the mile-wide crater. The eruption was largely subaqueous, taking place in the 180-m-deep crater lake, and resulted in the emergence of a steep-sided island. The mild character of the eruption and the absence of seismic activity stand in direct contrast to the highly explosive character of the eruption of 1902 to 1903.