Volcano on St. Lucia. September 13, 2001.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in a post that Betsy and I had taken a catamaran to Soufriere, St. Lucia, and had seen a drive-in volcano. Several people commented on that, so I thought I would share some more information about the volcano. The picture above is one I took of the volcano when we were there.
The St. Lucia volcano, also called the St. Lucia sulphur springs, last erupted in the late 1700s. That eruption was only a steam eruption and did not involve magma and ash. Although there are signs of activity, such as boiling mud, and water and steam emerging from the crater, the volcano is dormant.
The caldera of the volcano is believed to be connected to the ocean because there tends to be an increase in activity during a full moon, which causes high tides.
Walking in the crater is now prohibited after a guide fell into a pool of boiling water when he was jumping up and down on the surface crust. Fortunately the pool was only waist deep, so he was rescued, although he did suffer severe burns. Visitors are now confined to a boardwalk behind a guardrail. You can still smell the sulphur from the boardwalk, however.
St. Lucia’s volcano is just one more attraction on an island that is full of them. I would certainly like to go back there. If Betsy needs an additional reason to go back, I’ve even found a waterfall we could visit!
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