Global Volcanism Program | Report on Soufriere Guadeloupe (France)

Report on Soufriere Guadeloupe (France) — June 1977

Natural Science Event Bulletin, vol. 2, no. 6 (June 1977)
Managing Editor: David Squires.

Soufriere Guadeloupe (France) Summary of seismicity since mid-1975

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1977. Report on Soufriere Guadeloupe (France) (Squires, D., ed.). Natural Science Event Bulletin, 2:6. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.NSEB197706-360060

Soufriere Guadeloupe

France

16.044°N, 61.664°W; summit elev. 1467 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

Table 6 summarizes seismicity at Soufrière from mid-1975 through May 1976.

Table 6. Total seismic energy release (x 10¹³ ergs) per 1/3-month period, July 1975-May 1977. Courtesy of M. Feuillard.

Month	Days 01-10	Days 11-20	Days 21-end
Jul 1975	0	0	23
Aug 1975	0	0	0
Sep 1975	0	0	0
Oct 1975	0	0	1
Nov 1975	0	1	91
Dec 1975	0	0	14
Jan 1976	0	0	1
Feb 1976	1	7	5
Mar 1976	1	100	18000
Apr 1976	175	26	125
May 1976	35	150	4600
Jun 1976	380	88	64
Jul 1976	80	510	768
Aug 1976	1544	33831	20010
Sep 1976	1027	469	949
Oct 1976	446	532	930
Nov 1976	523	402	168
Dec 1976	225	165	41
Jan 1977	76	71	154
Feb 1977	152	38	33
Mar 1977	4	54	52
Apr 1977	2	7	1
May 1977	1	2	6

Further References. Feuillard, M., Allegre, C.J., Brandeis, G., Gaulon, R., and others, 1983, The 1975-1977 crisis of La Soufrière de Guadeloupe (F.W.I.): A still-born magmatic eruption: JVGR, v. 16, p. 317-334.

Geological Summary. La Soufrière de la Guadeloupe volcano occupies the southern end of Basse-Terre, the western half of the island of Guadeloupe. Construction of the Grand Découverte volcano about 200,000 years ago was followed a Plinian eruption and caldera formation about 100,000 years later, and then by construction of the Carmichaël volcano within the caldera. Two episodes of edifice collapse and associated large debris avalanches formed the Carmichaël and Amic craters about 11,500 and 3,100 years ago, respectively. The present volcano subsequently grew within the Amic crater. The summit consists of a flat-topped lava dome, and several other domes occur on the southern flanks. Six phreatic explosive eruptions since 1690 opened radial fractures across the summit lava dome. The phreatic eruptions in 1976-77 caused severe economic disruption when Basse-Terre, the island's capital city immediately below the volcano, was evacuated.

Information Contacts: M. Feuillard, Lab. de Physique du Globe.