The Eruptions of La Soufriere 



45 



La Soufriere. Western Part of Great Crater 

 From a photograph taken by Dr E. O. Hovey, May 31, 1902 



melted rock were thrown into the air. 

 Besides the bombs, the volcano ejected 

 blocks of ancient andesitic lava of sev- 

 eral kinds and of varying degrees of 

 coarseness of grain, and of all sizes up 

 to masses six or eight feet across, and 

 vast quantities of coarse and fine lapilli 

 and dust. Most, if not all, of the blocks 

 were thrown out at high temperatures, 

 as is shown by their cracked condition, 

 though they were not actually fused. 

 Although a few bombs, some of which 

 were twelve to fifteen inches across, were 



found on the leeward side as far away 

 from the crater as the site of Richmond 

 village, three and one-half miles distant, 

 b}' far the largest number of both bombs 

 and blocks, as well as the largest speci- 

 mens, were found on the windward side, 

 bombs fifteen to eighteen inches in di- 

 ameter being common in the bed of the 

 Rabaka Dry River. The proportion of 

 old lavas in the ejecta of La Soufriere 

 seems greater than in those of Pelee, and 

 there is greater variety, apparently, in 

 their composition. 



