Mountain type Stratovolcano Elevation 1,467 m | Last eruption 1977 Prominence 1,467 m | |
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Listing North America isolated peak 17th Volcanic arc/belt Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc Parent range Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc Similar Mount Pelée, Soufrière Hills, La Soufrière, Houëlmont, Morne Diablotins | ||
La Grande Soufrière, (French: "big sulphur outlet"), is an active stratovolcano on the French island of Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. It is the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles, and rises 1,467 m high.
Map of La Grande Soufri%C3%A8re, Guadeloupe
In 1976 a large amount of seismic activity led to a mass evacuation of the island. There was a bitter, and well-publicized, controversy between scientists Claude Allègre and Haroun Tazieff on whether evacuation should occur. Allègre held that inhabitants should be evacuated, just in case, while Tazieff held that the Soufrière was harmless. The prefect decided to evacuate, erring on the side of prudence: in the end the volcano did not fully erupt or result in any significant damage.
While the island was deserted, the German filmmaker Werner Herzog traveled to the abandoned town of Basse-Terre to find a peasant who had refused to leave his home on the slopes of the volcano. His journey is recorded in the film La Soufrière.