Soufriere Hills Volcano

Updated: May 21, 2025 02:34 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano, lava dome

Montserrat, West Indies (UK), 16.72°N / -62.18°W

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Summit height: 915 m / 3002 ft (changing!)

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 13 Sep 2023 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Soufrière Hills volcano is a complex stratovolcano that forms the northern half of the small Island of Montserrat in the British Lesser Antilles. After 350 years of quiet, it came back into life in 1995 and started to build a new lava dome. The eruption alternated between less or more intense phases including rapid dome growth with associated powerful vulcanian explosions and large pyroclastic flows from dome collapse.
The eruption, in particular the effects of pyroclastic flows and lahars caused by heavy rains have destroyed a large part of the island, including the capital Plymouth, and the population has been relocated to the northern part of the island and has been fighting, with the help of the UK government, to maintain life on the island.
One of the world's most modern volcano observatories, the MVO, has been installed on the island and while largely unknown prior to 1995, Soufrière Hills volcano now counts as one of the best monitored active volcanoes world-wide.

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Typical eruption style: Explosive. Construction of lava domes.
Soufriere Hills volcano eruptions: 2005-2013, 2004, 1995-2003
1550 ± 50 years, 1480 ± 50 years, 1180 (?), 2460 BC ± 70 years, 4050 BC (?), 8050 BC ± 2000 years

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Soufriere Hills Volcano Photos

Lava Dome of Soufrière Hills volcano (Montserrat) at Night, Jan. 28 2010 (Photo: Richard Roscoe)

Ash venting from Montserrat's active lava dome Soufrière Hills volcano (Photo: marcofulle)

Front of a pyroclastic flow from Montserrat's Soufrière Hills volcano (Photo: marcofulle)

Incandescent pyroclastic flow from Montserrat's Soufrière Hills volcano at night (Photo: marcofulle)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Soufriere Hills volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Soufriere Hills has had at least 9 confirmed volcanic eruptions, out of which 3 are documented by historical records, while the others can be inferred from geological evidence.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Soufriere Hills volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Soufriere Hills can be found on the news page of Soufriere Hills volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths
2005 Apr 15 - 2013 Feb 5	Historical obs./docs.	3?
2006 May 20 (eruption 2005 Apr 15 - 2013 Feb 5)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	2		Info
2006 May 20: A major lava dome collapse took place at the Soufriere Hills Volcano on the morning of 20 May 2006. The volume of the lava dome was believed to be about 90 million cubic meters and collapsed over a period of 3 hours. A 1 m high tsunami was reported from Deshaies beach in Guadeloupe and swells were detected in Little Bay, Montserrat, and at Jolly Harbour and English Harbour, Antigua. Cited references #2402 Montserrat Volcano Observatory (2006): Montserrat Volcano Observatory, Montserrat, West Indies. Interim report for the period midday 19 May to midday 22 May 2006. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency News Centre at http://www.cdera.org/cunews/ Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
2004 Mar 3 - May 2	Historical obs./docs.	3?
1995 Jul 18 - 2003 Oct 8	Historical obs./docs.	3
2003 Jul 12 (eruption 1995 Jul 18 - 2003 Oct 8)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	3		Info
2003 Jul 12: Volcanic eruption caused a tsunami. Cited references #1705 Pelinovsky, E, N. Zahibo, P. Dunkley, M. Edmonds, R. Herd, T.Talipova, A. Kozelkov, I. Nikokina (2004): Tsunami Generated by the Volcano Eruption on July 12-13, 2003 at Montserrat, Lesser Antiles. Science of Tsunami Hazards, Volume 22, Number 1, p. 44 -57. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1999 Jan 20 (eruption 1995 Jul 18 - 2003 Oct 8)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	3		Info
1999 Jan 20: Debris avalanches and pyroclastic flows associated with an eruption of Soufriere Hills Volcano travelled down the Tar River valley, reached the sea, and generated a local tsunami. Cited references #1918 Pararas-Carayannis, George (2006): Risk assessment of tsunami generation from active volcanic sources in the eastern Caribbean region. Caribbean Tsunami Hazard, Proceedings of the NSF Caribbean Tsunami Workshop, March 30-31, 2004, Aurelio Mercado-Irizarry and Philip Liu, eds., World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, p. 91-137. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1997 Dec 26 (eruptive episode 1997 Dec 26)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	0		Info
1997 Dec 26: A volcanic debris slide of 60 million cubic meters occurred in the White River Valley, Montserrat, on December 26th (named the Boxing Day Collapse). On the night of the eruption there were reports of a wave inundating the Old Road Bay area, 10 km from the landslide site. A small tsunami was generated, probably by the steep flow front of the debris avalanche, possibly assisted by the pyroclastic flows as they entered the sea at the mouth of the White River Valley. (reference #1315) Cited references #1315 Lander, J. F., L. S. Whiteside, and P. A. Lockridge (2003): Two Decades of Global Tsunamis, 1982-2002, Science of Tsunami Hazards, the International Journal of the Tsunami Society, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 3-82. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1997 Aug 1 (eruption 1995 Jul 18 - 2003 Oct 8)	Historical obs./docs.	3	2	Info
1997 Aug 1: Two local residents who had often entered the restricted area were killed by pyroclastic flows in Plymouth in late July or early August 1997. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1997 Jun 25 (eruption 1995 Jul 18 - 2003 Oct 8)	Historical obs./docs.	3	22	Info
1997 Jun 25: Pyroclastic flows within a restricted zone on the NE flank on June 25 caused 19 confirmed fatalities; 3 others were missing and presumed dead. (reference #9675) Cited references #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1550 ±50 y. AD	Castle Peak	?
1480 ±50 y. AD	Castle Peak	?
1180 ? AD		?
2460 ±70 y. BC	English's crater	?
4050 ? BC		?
8050 ±2000 y. BC		?

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Soufriere Hills Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Soufriere Hills occurred during 2005 - 2013.

+How often does Soufriere Hills volcano erupt?

Soufriere Hills volcano erupts almost every year. Since its first historically documented eruption 1995, Soufriere Hills has often been near-continuously active. The Global Volcanism Project counts 3 historic eruptions until now, spanning a total of 19 out of 30 years. In other words, Soufriere Hills is active roughly every one in 1.6 years on average. This value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruption might not contain all eruptions, especially further back in time. The last eruption of Soufriere Hills

+How active is Soufriere Hills volcano at present?

Soufriere Hills volcano is relatively active: Since 1900, it has had 19 eruptions, and been active during 19 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Soufriere Hills has been in eruption one in 6.6 years on average. The last eruption was from 2005 until 2013 and ended 12 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano?

The largest eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano in historic times occurred during 2005 - 2013. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Soufriere Hills Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).