View source for Earth:Soufrière Hills Volcano

<noinclude>{{User:RMCD bot/subject notice|1=Soufrière Hills|2=Talk:Soufrière Hills Volcano#Requested move 10 January 2020 }}
</noinclude>{{short description|Volcano on Montserrat in the Caribbean}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Soufrière Hills Volcano 
| photo = Soufriere Hills.jpg
| photo_caption = 
| elevation_m = 1050
| elevation_ref = <ref name="cia">Height before the 1995 eruption was 915 m. The eruptions since 1995 have formed a lava dome that has increased the height to 1050 m (2015 estimate): see [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mh.html The CIA World Factbook on Montserrat].</ref>
| prominence_m = 1050
| prominence_ref = <ref name="cia"/>
| location = Montserrat, Caribbean
| country = {{MSR}}
| coordinates = {{Coord|16|43|N|62|11|W|region:MS_type:mountain|display=inline,title}}
| map = Montserrat
| topo = 
| type = [[Earth:Stratovolcano|Stratovolcano]]
| volcanic_arc/belt = [[Earth:Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc|Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc]]
| age = 
| last_eruption = 2013<ref name="SmithsonianGVP">{{cite web | url=http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=360050 | title=Soufrière Hills | publisher=Smithsonian Institution | work=[[Earth:Global Volcanism Program|Global Volcanism Program]] | accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
| first_ascent = 
| easiest_route = 
}}
[[File:Soufrière 2009 eruption.jpg|thumb|2009 ash and steam plume, Soufrière Hills Volcano. Grey deposits that include pyroclastic flows and volcanic mudflows (lahars) are visible extending from the volcano toward the coastline. NASA ISS photo, 11 October 2009, a view from the northeast looking southwest]]
[[File:Soufriere Hills Volcano dome collapse.gif|thumb|False colour satellite image of Soufrière Hills before and after a 2010 partial dome collapse. Red areas are living vegetation, grey areas are covered in volcanic debris]]
[[File:Montserrat Relief Map, SRTM-1.jpg|thumb|Relief Map]]

The '''Soufrière Hills volcano''' is an [[Earth:Active volcano|active]], complex [[Earth:Stratovolcano|stratovolcano]] with many [[Earth:Lava dome|lava dome]]s forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Many volcanoes in the Caribbean are named Soufrière ([[Social:French language|French]]: "[[Chemistry:Sulfur|sulfur]] outlet"). These include [[Earth:La Soufrière (volcano)|La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent]] on the island of Saint Vincent, and [[Earth:La Grande Soufrière|La Grande Soufrière]] on Guadeloupe. After a long period of dormancy, the Soufrière Hills volcano became active in 1995 and has continued to erupt ever since. Its eruptions have rendered more than half of Montserrat uninhabitable, destroying the capital city, [[Place:Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]], and causing widespread evacuations: about two thirds of the population have left the island.<ref>http://webra.cas.sc.edu/hvri/feature/jun2014_dom.aspx The 1997 Soufriere Hills Eruption</ref>

It is andesitic in nature, and the current pattern of activity includes periods of lava dome growth, punctuated by brief episodes of dome collapse which result in pyroclastic flows, ash venting, and explosive eruption. The volcano is monitored by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. Volcanic gas emissions from this volcano are measured by a Multi-Component Gas Analyzer System, which detects pre-eruptive degassing of rising magmas, improving [[Prediction of volcanic activity|prediction of volcanic activity]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1029/2009GL041325/asset/grl26629.pdf?v=1&t=itlwd36i&s=98e2041937cd332c3b3bfefe001264a80d2e7c3d|title=Volcanic gas emissions from Soufrière Hills Volcano, Monserrat 1995-2009, with implications for mafic magma supply and degassing, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 37|journal=Geophysical Research Letters|volume=37|issue=19|pages=n/a|doi=10.1029/2009GL041325|year=2010|last1=Christopher|first1=Thomas|last2=Edmonds|first2=Marie|last3=Humphreys|first3=Madeleine C. S.|last4=Herd|first4=Richard A.}}</ref>

==Early history==
* 2460 BCE (± 70 years): An explosive eruption formed the Crater at the top of the volcano.<ref name=gvpErupt>{{cite web|title=Global Volcanism Program: Eruptive history |url=http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1600-05=&volpage=erupt}}</ref>
* 1550 CE (± 50 years): Between 25 and 65 million cubic metres of lava was erupted at Castle Peak.<ref name=gvpErupt/>


==1995&ndash;1999 eruption==
Seismic activity had occurred in 1897–1898, 1933–1937, and again in 1966–1967, but the eruption that began on 18 July 1995 was the first since the turn of the 20th century in Montserrat.<ref name="gvp">{{cite gvp|vnum=1600-05=|name=Soufrière Hills}}</ref> When pyroclastic flows and mudflows began occurring regularly, the capital, Plymouth, was evacuated, and a few weeks later a pyroclastic flow covered the city in several metres of debris.

The first phreatic explosion in this new period of activity occurred on 21 August 1995, and such activity lasted for 18 weeks until it caused an andesitic lava dome formation. This was initially confined by a sector-collapse scar. This period lasted for another 60 weeks, after which there were major dome collapses and two periods of explosive volcanic eruptions and fountain-collapse pyroclastic flows.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kKAPNBu6V_gC&pg=PA1 |title=The eruption of Soufrière Hills volcano, Montserrat, from 1995 to 1999 |author=B. Peter Kokelaar |page=1 |isbn=978-1-86239-098-0 |year=2002}}</ref> The explosion blanketed Plymouth, {{convert|6|km|mi}} away, in a thick layer of ash and darkened the sky almost completely.

Earthquakes continued to occur in three [[Epicenter|epicenter]] zones: beneath the Soufrière Hills volcano, in the ridge running to the north-east, and beneath St George's Hill, about {{convert|5|km|mi}} to the north-west.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tnoYgsTTWUgC&pg=PA104 |author=Vi︠a︡cheslav Moiseevich Zobin |title=Introduction to volcanic seismology |volume=6 |chapter=Soufrière Hills volcano, Monserrat (6.2.3.) |pages=104&ndash;7 |isbn=978-0-444-51340-3 |year=2003}}</ref> A large eruption on 25 June 1997 resulted in the deaths of nineteen people. The island's airport was directly in the path of the main pyroclastic flow and was completely destroyed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/3666502.stm |title=BBC country profile: Montserrat |accessdate=8 March 2008 | date=22 September 2009 | work=BBC News}}</ref> Montserrat's tourist industry also crashed, although it began to recover within fifteen years.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Montserrat tourism arrivals up 22 percent in first seven months of 2010 {{!}} Caribbean news, Entertainment, Fashion, Politics, Business, Sports….|url = http://www.thewestindiannews.com/montserrat-tourism-arrivals-up-22-percent-in-first-seven-months-of-2010/|website = www.thewestindiannews.com|accessdate = 18 May 2015}}</ref>

The governments of the United Kingdom and Montserrat led the aid effort, including a £41 million package provided to the Montserrat population; however, riots followed as the people protested that the British Government was not doing enough to aid relief.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,308675,00.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=UK citizenship for island outposts | date=18 March 1999 | accessdate=23 May 2010}}</ref> The riots followed a £10 million aid offer by International Development Secretary Clare Short, prompting the resignation of Bertrand Osborne, then Chief Minister of Montserrat, after allegations of being too pro-British and not demanding a better offer.<ref name="osborne">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/08/0821/montserrat.shtml |title= Montserrat Chief Minister Resigns As People Reject Aid Offer |publisher=BBC |work=Politics '97 |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref>

The British [[Engineering:Destroyer|destroyer]] {{HMS|Liverpool|D92|6}} took a large role in evacuating Montserrat's population to other islands; this included Antigua and Barbuda, who warned they would not be able to cope with many more refugees.<ref name="osborne"/> About 7,000 people, or two-thirds of the population, left Montserrat; 4,000 went to the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4237882.stm |date=12 September 2005 |title=Montserrat evacuation remembered |publisher=BBC |accessdate= 19 November 2010}}</ref>

===Destroyed settlements===
The following is a list of Montserrat settlements destroyed by the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano:

{{colbegin}}
*Bethel
*Bramble
*Dyers
*Fairfield
*Farm
*Farrell's
*Farrell's Yard
*Galway's Estate
*Harris
*Hermitage
*Long Ground
*Morris's
*[[Place:Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]] – the capital of Montserrat, initially evacuated in August 1995; abandoned and destroyed in 1997
*Saint Patrick's
*Robuscus Mt
*Soufrière
*Streatham

In addition, the W. H. Bramble Airport was also destroyed.
{{colend}}

===Abandoned settlements===
<!-- linked from redirect List of Montserrat settlements abandoned after 1997 Soufrière Hills eruption -->
The following is a list of Montserrat settlements abandoned after the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano. Most of these settlements were badly affected or inundated by pyroclastic flows between June and December 1997.

====Evacuated====
{{colbegin}}
*[[Place:Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth, Montserrat]]
*Amersham
*Cork Hill
*Gages
*Lee's
*Molyneux
*North Olveston (since re-settled)
*Old Towne (since re-settled)
*Saint George's Hill
*Salem (since re-settled)
*Weekes
*Woodlands (since re-settled)
{{colend}}

==Activity since 1999==
 <!--first 3 paragraphs have no citations-->
On 24 December 2006, streaks of red from the pyroclastic flows became visible. On 8 January 2007, an evacuation order was issued for areas in the Lower Belham Valley, affecting an additional 100 people.

At 11:27 pm local time on Monday 28 July 2008, an eruption began without any precursory activity. Pyroclastic flow lobes reached Plymouth. These involved juvenile material originating in the collapse of the eruption column. Further, a small part of the eastern side of the lava dome collapsed, generating a pyroclastic flow in Tar River Valley. Several large explosions were registered, with the largest at approximately 11:38 pm. The height of the ash column was estimated at 12,000 m (40,000&nbsp;ft) above sea level.

The volcano has become one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the world since its eruption began, with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory taking detailed measurements and reporting on its activity to the government and population of Montserrat. The observatory is operated by the British Geological Survey under contract to the government of Montserrat.

The 9 October 2008 issue of the journal ''Science'' suggests that two interconnected magma chambers lie beneath the surface of the volcano on Montserrat – one six kilometres below the surface and the other at 12 kilometres below the surface. They also show a link between surface behaviour and the size of the deeper magma chamber.<ref>{{cite journal|date=October 2008|title=Implications of Magma Transfer Between Multiple Reservoirs on Eruption Cycling.|journal=Science|volume=322|issue=5899|pages= 246–248|url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/322/5899/246|accessdate=2008-10-09|doi=10.1126/science.1161297|pmid=18845752|last1=Elsworth|first1=D|last2=Mattioli|first2=G|last3=Taron|first3=J|last4=Voight|first4=B|last5=Herd|first5=R|bibcode = 2008Sci...322..246E}}</ref><ref>[http://newswise.com/articles/view/545018/ "Multiple Magma Reservoirs Affect Volcanic Eruption Cycles"], ''Newswise'',  6 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.</ref>

On 5 February 2010, a [[Earth:Vulcanian eruption|vulcanian explosion]] simultaneously propelled pyroclastic flows down several sides of the mountain, and on 11 February 2010, a partial collapse of the [[Earth:Lava dome|lava dome]] sent large ash clouds over sections of several nearby islands including Guadeloupe and Antigua. Inhabited areas of Montserrat itself received very little ash accumulation through either event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montserratvolcanoobservatory.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=9&Itemid=94&lang=en |title=Montserrat Volcano Observatory |publisher=Montserratvolcanoobservatory.info |accessdate=27 June 2014}}</ref>

<!--headings to be written

==Geological history==
==Previous activity==
==Onset of activity in 1995==
==Growing activity==
==Evacuation of the island; political controversy in the UK==
==The future==
-->

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
Soufriere hills ash.jpg|Ash plume from Soufrière Hills, 10 March 2004
Montserrat Salem Eruption1.jpg|22 September 1997 10:46&nbsp;a.m. eruption
File:From Garibaldi Hill (5809292121).jpg|The volcano in 2011
File:Volcanic Debris (5809856144).jpg|Debris in Belham River Valley in 2011
File:Monserrat - Soufrière Hills close-up.jpg|A close up of the volcano in 2012
File:Montserrat, Karibik - 2012-03-04 - Soufrière Hills - still active - panoramio.jpg|Close up of Volcano in 2012
File:Montserrat, Karibik - 2012-03-04 - Pyroclastic Flows - panoramio.jpg|Pyroclastic flow deposits in 2012
File:Soufrière Hills volcano in Monserrat.jpg|The side of the volcano, showing the path taken by pyroclastic flows.
</gallery>

==See also==
* List of volcanoes in Montserrat
* List of Seconds From Disaster episodes

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/archives/4513 Satellite imagery of 11 February 2010 eruption]
* [http://www.mvo.ms/ Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO)] - Current monitoring of the Soufrière Hills Volcano in Montserrat.
* [http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/WestIndies/Montserrat/framework.html USGS Info on Soufrière Hills Volcano]
* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=40803&src=eoa-iotd 2009 activity at Soufrière Hills Volcano], from [[Organization:NASA|NASA]] Earth Observatory
* [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1260293/Montserrat-Soufriere-Hills-volcano-erupts-Caribbean-island.html Photos taken from a passenger jet of an eruption]
* [https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=360050 Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program: Soufrière Hills]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Soufriere Hills}}
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Active volcanoes]]
[[Category:Complex volcanoes]]

{{Sourceattribution|Soufrière Hills Volcano|1}}