La Soufrière volcano eruption April 2021

[Astronuc]

TL;DR

La Soufrière volcano has erupted. A larger eruption represents a potential hazard. La Soufrière is one of several active volcanoes in the Caribbean.

The government of St. Vincent and The Grenadines has been warning residents of the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent to be ready to evacuate the vicinity of La Soufrière volcano since about December 2020, when activity began to increase in the volcano and a new dome formed inside the crater. The volcano, not to be confused with Soufrière Hills on the island of Montserrat, has been active for some time.

Early on Friday, April 9, La Soufrière volcano erupted, sending nearly a six-mile (~32,000 feet, or 10 km) high plume of ash into the air hours after residents were ordered to evacuate the area, officials said.

Scientists at University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre are monitoring the volcano.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Soufrière_(volcano)
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/soufrière-st-vincent
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/st-vincent-evacuate-thousands-under-volcano-threat-n1263597 (AP)
https://apnews.com/article/la-soufr...nt-caribbean-1430a41cbaa02f20222b6b3e37dc2c05
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/so...-eruption-continues-with-series-of-seism.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/09/americas/st-vincent-volcano-eruption/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/st-vincent-volcano-eruption-caribbean-soufriere/

La Soufrière, also known as Soufrière Saint Vincent is one of nineteen 'active' volcanoes in the The Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc. These volcanoes are known for effusive/explosive eruptions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Antilles_Volcanic_Arc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soufrière_Hills

On 5 February 2010, a vulcanian explosion simultaneously propelled pyroclastic flows down several sides of the mountain, and on 11 February 2010, a partial collapse of the 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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pelée
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande_Soufrière

Soufrière is French for sulfur mine, vent or outlet, and usually refers to the volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc. I'm also curious to how they related to the seismic activity in Puerto Rico.

 

[berkeman]

Summary:: La Soufrière volcano has erupted. A larger eruption represents a potential hazard. La Soufrière is one of several active volcanoes in the Caribbean.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/st-vincent-evacuate-thousands-under-volcano-threat-n1263597 (AP)

Yikes...

 

[Astronuc]

(CNN)There has been a massive power outage on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent where La Soufrière volcano began erupting Friday, St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Emergency Management Organization reported Sunday.
"Day no 3 and everything looks like a battle zone. Dreary morning with the ash beginning to harden on the ground due to overnight showers. Many homes still without water and electricity," NEMO said in one of a series of tweets.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/11/americas/st-vincent-volcano-explosion-sunday/index.html

From yesterday, https://www.npr.org/2021/04/10/986126557/volcano-on-st-vincent-could-experience-larger-eruption - some scientists apparently expect a stronger eruption than the previous eruption of 1979.

The dome of the volcano, which is about 3,100 feet long and more than 820 feet wide, was destroyed in Friday's eruption, catapulting 460 million cubic feet of debris into the atmosphere. The ash could reach as far as Jamaica and parts of South America, Robertson said.

 

[Astronuc]

La Soufrière continues to erupt.
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/15/987751362/la-soufriere-volcano-a-growing-humanitarian-crisis

The dome of the volcano has been completely destroyed during the periodic eruptions. More than 460 million cubic tons of rock and Earth has been propelled into the atmosphere. Winds have carried the ash to neighboring islands of Barbados, Grenada and Saint Lucia.

Pyroclastic flows continue to threaten the areas immediately surrounding the volcano. These flows of super-heated gas, rock and debris shoot down the face of the mountain, destroying everything in their path. They also move at incredible speeds, averaging 60 mph, but capable of reaching speeds of over 400 mph. These flows appear to have traveled along valleys on the Eastern side of the island toward the Rabacca River. However, these pyroclastic currents can take place anywhere in the immediate area of the volcano.

Tracking La Soufrière’s Plume - https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148190/tracking-la-soufrieres-plume

 

[Keith_McClary]

460 million cubic tons