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Soufriere, St. Vincent, W. Indies;13.33 N 61.18 W;1,220 m elevation This volcano, whose name means "sulfur," is located on
St. Vincent in the West Indies. It has a lake in its crater. Born in
1718, the volcano has had seven eruptions including violent eruptions in
1718, 1812, 1902, 1995, and 1997. A heavy ash fall accompanying the 1812
eruption killed 75 people. In 1902, the northern third of the island was
devastated within several minutes by a glowing avalanche. The glowing
ash cloud descended all sides of the volcano killing 1,600. Evacuation
of 17,000 people in 1979 prevented a potential repeat of the tragedy of
1902. This photo, taken on April 22, 1979, shows a 6 km eruption cloud
rising into the early morning sky. The cloud eventually rose to an
altitude of 15 km. Large scale evacuations were ordered in 1997. Photo
credit: F.C. Whitemore, U.S. Geological Survey |