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'La Grande Soufrière', or simply 'La Soufrière' (French: "sulphur outlet"), is an active stratovolcano located on the French island of Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. It is the tallest mountain in the Lesser Antilles, and rises 4,813 ft (1,467 m) high.
The volcano's 1976 eruption led to an evacuation but no loss of life. There was a well-publicized bitter controversy between scientists Claude Allègre and Haroun Tazieff on whether evacuation should be decided: Allègre held that inhabitants should be evacuated, just in case, while Tazieff held that the ''Soufrière'' was harmless. The prefect decided to evacuate, erring on the side of prudence; the eruption did not result in any damage.
Whilst the island was deserted, the German filmmaker Werner Herzog travelled to the abandoned town of Basse-Terre to find a peasant who had refused to leave his home on the slopes of the volcano. His journey is recorded in the film ''La Soufrière''.


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References

References

★ Global Volcanism Program

★ OVSG : Observatoire volcanologique et sismologique de Guadeloupe

★ Parc National de la Guadeloupe, manager of the top of the Soufrière