La Grande Soufrière
| La Grande Soufrière | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,467 m (4,813 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,467 m (4,813 ft) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 16°02′40.56″N 61°39′51.12″W / 16.0446000°N 61.6642000°WCoordinates: 16°02′40.56″N 61°39′51.12″W / 16.0446000°N 61.6642000°W |
| Geography | |
  La Grande Soufrière | |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | 1976 to 1977 |
La Grande Soufrière, (French: "big sulphur outlet"), is an active stratovolcano on the French island of Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. It is the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles, and rises 1,467 m high.
In 1976 a large amount of seismic activity led to a mass evacuation of the island. There was a bitter, and well-publicized, controversy between scientists Claude Allègre and Haroun Tazieff 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 decided to evacuate, erring on the side of prudence: in the end the volcano did not fully erupt or result in any significant damage.
While the island was deserted, the German filmmaker Werner Herzog 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.
See also
References
- Global Volcanism Program
- OVSG : Observatoire volcanologique et sismologique de Guadeloupe
- Parc National de la Guadeloupe, manager of the top of the Soufrière
Guadeloupe contains a volcano named La Grande Soufriere and it is still active.It was created over an extensive base of Pliocene volcanic rocks.