SOUFRIRE, MOUNT

active volcano on the island of St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It is a geometrically shaped volcano rising to peaks of 3,864 feet (1,178 m) and 4,048 feet (1,234 m) north of the crater. The volcano erupted violently in 1812 and again in 1902, when it devastated half the island and killed 2,000 people. A series of mild eruptions in 1971 caused no damage, but eruptions in April 1979 forced authorities to evacuate two-thirds of the island. There was no loss of life, but agriculture suffered considerably. The mountain's name (French: Sulfur Mine) reflects the sulfurous odour accompanying its eruptions.