Сент-Винсент аралындағы Соуфриер жанартауының белсенділігі

Active stratovolcano on the Caribbean island Saint Vincent

La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent (sufʁjɛʁ sɛ̃ vɛ̃sɑ̃) is an active volcano on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the highest peak on Saint Vincent, and has had eight recorded eruptions since 1718. The latest eruptive activity began on 27 December 2020 with the slow extrusion of a dome of lava, and culminated in a series of explosive events between 9 and 22 April 2021.

At , La Soufrière is the highest peak on Saint Vincent as well as the highest point in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a crater lake and is the island's youngest and northernmost volcano. During periods of inactivity, visitors can view the volcanic crater by following a hiking trail that ascends through rainforest to the rim.

La Soufrière has had five explosive eruptions during the recorded historical period. It violently erupted in 1718, 1812, 1902, 1979, and 2021. A famous painting by J. M. W. Turner of the eruption on 30 April 1812 belongs to the Victoria Gallery & Museum, University of Liverpool.

The Saint Vincent eruption of 6 May 1902 killed 1,680 people, just hours before the eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique that killed 29,000. On St. Vincent, a further 600 people were injured or burned and some 4,000 were left homeless. The death zone, where almost all persons were killed, was mainly within Island Caribs habitat, an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. This last large remnant of Carib culture was destroyed as a result of the volcano. By 1907, the volcano was considered inactive, and the crater lake had reformed.

A minor event occurred in 1971, altering the structure of the volcano's crater lake.

An eruption on April 13, 1979 caused no casualties as advance warning allowed thousands of local residents to evacuate to nearby beaches.

Increased seismic activity was detected in December 2020; and an effusive eruption began to form a new lava dome inside the summit crater on 27 December. Government officials began outreach efforts to residents in the area throughout December and January, in order to review evacuation plans in case volcanic activity at the volcano escalated. a growth which continued in February as the lava dome was also releasing gas and steam plumes from its top. By 22 March 2021, the lava dome was tall, wide and long. Sulfur dioxide emissions were being generated from the top of the dome. On 8 April 2021, after a sustained increase of volcanic and seismic activity over the preceding days, a red alert was declared and an evacuation order issued as an explosive phase of the eruption was deemed to be imminent. An explosive eruption occurred at 8:41 AM AST on April 9, 2021, with an ash plume reaching approximately and drifting eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean. By then, approximately 16,000 people had evacuated the area surrounding the volcano. Subsequent explosive eruptions, created by multiple pulses of ash, were reported in the afternoon and evening of 9 April, according to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre. Residents were also faced with power outages and cut off water supplies, and the airspace over the island was closed due to the presence of smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash. There were further reports of continued explosive activity and pyroclastic flows. The final explosion took place on 22 April 2021. The eruption, rated as VEI 4 on the Explosivity Index, was comparable in size to the eruptions of 1979.

Saint Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbados all agreed to take in evacuees. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves encouraged people evacuating to shelters elsewhere on Saint Vincent to take the COVID 19 vaccine. Carnival Cruise Lines sent the Carnival Paradise and Carnival Legend to each transport up to 1,500 residents to neighbouring islands. The cruise line Royal Caribbean Group sent Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity Reflection.