VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS ON MARTINIQUE AND ST. 



VINCENT." 



By Israel C. Rus.set.l. 



of (111' XiitidTinl ( leoiiritpliU' Siir'iiiij I'lrpi'dilinu Id HV.v/ /mJi 



The continuation of activity in the case of Mont Pelee and La 

 Soufriere of St. Vincent makes it evident that it is yet too early to 

 write a final report on their recent eruptions. Vfhat may he termed 

 a first approximation. howe\er. to the sig-nificance of the observa- 

 tions concerning- them already in hand,^ may be of interest to the 

 members of the National (Teographic Society. 



The numhei' of (letlve crato's. — The first question to which an answer 

 is sought concerning both Mont Pelee and La Soufriere is: Ha\e the 

 recent eruptions occurred from a single and essentially a summit 

 crater in each instance, or have secondary or subcraters ])een opened 

 on the sides of the volcanoes, which had a connection with their con- 

 duits:! In the case of La Soufriere no ditferences of opinion in this 

 connection have arisen among* the several observers who have \ isited 

 the mountain. The eruptions have all occurred in a single crater, the 

 so-called old crater, in distinction from the one formed in 1812. This 

 crater is near the sununit of the mountain, but is partially encircled 

 on the northeast l)y a reumant of a nuich older and far lai'ger crater, 

 which corresponds with Mont Sunnuaat \'(>su\ ins, and may be teiined 

 a ''sonuiia." 



At ^lont Pelee there is also a sonuna, and on its southwest side is 

 the crater known as Etang Sec, which is now in eru})tion. A smaller 

 sunnuit crater, formerly occupied ]>y Lac des Palmistes, occui's to the 

 northeast of the one now active, and corresponds in a general way 

 with the crater of 1812 on St. Vincent. While several observers 

 have reported the existence of at least two sulx^raters — onci on 

 the east and the other on the southwest slope of Mont Pelee, 

 the former termed the ^'Falaise crater'' and the latter the "Riviere 

 Blanche crater" — a careful considcM'ation of the evidences presented 

 tails to show that these are true centers of eru[)tion having deep 



"Reprinted by permission, after revision by the author, from the National Geo- 

 graphic INIagazinc, Vol. Xlir, No. 12, December, 1901'. 



''A list of the i)apefH referred to is presenti'd at tlie end of this essay. 



