Deformation Studies on Soufriere, St. Vincent, Between 1977 and 1981

Abstract

Dry-tilt measurements at two stations indicate that Soufriere Volcano gradually inflated at least 10 microradians prior to the initial explosions of April 1979 and then rapidly deflated more than 20 microradians after the activity got under way. The tilt measured at the station 6.5 kilometers from the summit was about twice that measured at a distance of 2.5 kilometers. This finding suggests the existence of a magma chamber at a depth of more than 10 kilometers.