Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for The Quill.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for The Quill.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for The Quill.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

360020

250 CE

601 m / 1,972 ft

17.478°N
62.96°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Lava dome

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Minor
Rhyolite
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Oceanic crust (< 15 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

2,195
2,195
8,361
134,936

Geological Summary

The Quill is a large dominantly andesitic stratovolcano that forms the SE end of St. Eustatius (Statia) Island. It was formed about 32,000-22,000 years ago by rhyolitic eruptions on a shallow-water limestone bank 3 km offshore of a 200,000 year old volcanic center exposed at the NW end of the island. The interaction of rhyolitic magma with seawater produced pyroclastic-surge deposits, rich in limestone fragments, that joined the two islands and cover the entire slopes of the volcano. The surges also swept across the older island and incorporated carbonized plant remains, shell fragments, and remains of fossil hermit crabs. A likely cryptodome tilted up limestones at Sugarloaf on the southern coast. A steep-sided crater, 760 m wide and more than 300 m deep, caps The Quill; a notch on the western crater rim has directed the youngest pyroclastic flows towards the island's capital, Orangestad. The last dated eruption produced pyroclastic flows about 1,600 years ago.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Robson G R, Tomblin J, 1966. West Indies. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 20: 1-56.

Roobol M J, Smith A L, 1989. Volcanic and associated hazards in the Lesser Antilles. In: Latter J H (ed), Volcanic Hazards - Assessment and Monitoring, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, p 57-85.

Roobol M J, Smith A L, 2004. Volcanology of Saba and St. Eustatius, northern Lesser Antilles. Amsterdam: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Letters, 320 p.

Shepherd J B, 2001. Volcanoes of the eastern Caribbean: past activity and future hazards. Paper presented at the Workshop on Volcanic and Seismic Hazards in the eastern Caribbean, May 28- June 1, 2001, 57 p.

Smith A L, Roobol M J, 2005. St. Eustatius. In: Lindsay J M, Robertson R E A, Shepherd J B, Ali S (eds). Volcanic Hazard Atlas of the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, Seismic Res Unit, Univ West Indies, p 192-202.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

0250 ± 150 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

0250 ± 150 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow

0550 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

0550 BCE (?) - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow

6140 BCE ± 200 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 4

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

6140 BCE ± 200 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
6140 BCE ± 200 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Round Hill

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Boven

Stratovolcano

17° 31' 4.00" N

62° 59' 52.00" W

Gilboa Hill

Stratovolcano

17° 30' 42.00" N

62° 59' 13.00" W

Little Mountain

Stratovolcano

17° 30' 20.00" N

62° 59' 40.00" W

Mary's Glory

Stratovolcano

17° 30' 0.00" N

62° 59' 20.00" W

Signal Hill

Stratovolcano

17° 29' 42.00" N

62° 59' 27.00" W

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Bergje

Dome

17° 30' 29.00" N

62° ' " W

Sugarloaf

Dome

17° 28' 0.00" N

62° 58' 0.00" W

Photo Gallery

The Quill stratovolcano (center) forms the SE end of Statia (St. Eustatius) Island. Pleistocene volcanic rocks form the hill at the lower left, and Mount Liamuiga volcano on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) Island rises across the strait at the right center. A steep-sided 760-m-wide crater truncates the summit of The Quill, which was formed about 32,000-22,000 years ago by rhyolitic eruptions on a shallow-water limestone bank. Pyroclastic-flow and -surge deposits, the last of which were erupted about 400 CE, blanket the slopes of the volcano.

Photo by John Shepherd, 2000 (Seismic Research Unit, University of West Indies).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for The Quill in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of The Quill. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of The Quill. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of The Quill

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).