Programme
Interreg IV
Caraïbe
Caribbean
Environmental
Satellite Information
system
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
The historical eruptions in the Lesser
Antilles: the inventory and the spatialisation
of physical and human impacts
Conclusion
By: Guillaume LALUBIE
E.A. 929 : AIHP-GEODE
Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Schœlcher, Martinique
Thursday 21 March 2013
The Lesser Antilles: a volcanic
arc issued from subduction
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
12 volcanic islands
21 sub-aerial active
volcanoes
(9 in Dominica)
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
7 eruptive centers since
1650 AD
22 phreatic or magmatic
eruptions, with various
magnitude whatever the
type
-  What is the extend of volcanic hazards during historical eruption?
- What are the impacts of volcanic eruptions on the Caribbean society?
Atlas made in three stages
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
1- Make an inventory of historical eruptive hazards
substantiated by original documents : historical works and
scientific literature
2- Create a database: the BDLAVI (Lesser Antilles Volcanic Impacts),
with date, phenomena, impacts and main reactions
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
3- Constitute an atlas with the spatialisation of physical volcanic
impacts (primary or secondary phenomena) and human volcanic
impacts (individual, institutional and scientific)
Inventory of historical volcanic activities
73 volcanic events were listed from volcano-seismic
crisis to paroxysmic magmatic eruption
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Soufrière de Guadeloupe,
1836 phreatic eruption
Soufriere Hill,
on-going eruption
Soufrière of Saint Vincent,
1971 magmatic eruption
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Montagne Pelée,
8 May 1902, 08h00
(North view)
Discussion
Conclusion
Soufrière de Guadeloupe,
1898, fumarolic increases
Montagne Pelée,
Saint-Pierre, the 7, 9 et 20 May 1902
Guillaume Lalubie
7 May 1902
9 May 1902
20 May 1902
List the secondary phenomena :
1902 lahars on Montagne Pelée
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Many destructive lahars with
different triggering mechanisms
Tsunami, 5 May 1902,
Saint-Pierre,1 fatality, after crater lake expulsion
Heavy rain (or landslide?),
8 May 1902, 400 fatalities
Heavy rain, May-September 1902
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Heavy rain, May-September
1902
Hot lahars, 1902-1903
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
Before
Crater lake
expulsion:
5 May 1902,
23 fatalities
After
List the human impacts
of the historical eruptions
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
After the 1902 disaster, crisis management
was more or less successful in Martinique
Rescue isolated inhabitants
(Le Prêcheur)
Migration on the roads after each paroxysm
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Refugee camp
(Fond Lahaye)
Guillaume Lalubie
Mobilization of the French
scientific team (Lacroix, Giraud,
Food distributions to the disaster Rollet de l’Isle, June 1902)
victims (Fort-de-France)
An atlas with a homogeneous
semiologic code
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
The spatialisation of physical
and human impacts of eruptions in the Lesser Antilles
100 maps were produced for 24 volcanic manifestations
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Saint Kitts, Mount
Liamuiga, 1692
Montserrat, Soufrière Hills,
12/25/1997, Boxing day!
Guadeloupe, Soufrière,
Beginning November 1976
Dominica, Valley of
Desolation, 01/04/1880
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
Martinique, Montagne
Pelée, 20/05/1902
Sainte Lucia, Soufrière
Volcanic Centre, 1766
Saint Vincent, The
Soufrière, 04/14/1979
A dynamic mapping
Diversity in the evolution and the dynamism during eruptive crises
Martinique, Montagne Pelée, 1902
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Saint Vincent, The Soufrière, 1979
Introduction
Guadeloupe, La Soufrière, 1976
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
Montserrat, Soufrière Hills, 1995-on going
Volcanic impacts on a regional scale
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Regional physical impacts were essentially tsunami and ashfall.
Today!
s modern society would be adversly affected (fishing fleet, aerial
transport, school activity, vulnerable persons, etc.)
Montserrat, Soufrière Hills,
1999-2001
Martinique, Montagne Pelée,
8 May 1902, 08h00 AM
Saint Vincent, The Soufrière,
1718
30 August 1902, 8h45 PM
7 May 1902,2h00 PM
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
11 Febuary 2010, 11h52 AM
Five stages of volcanic impact intensity
The five stages listed by increasing order of intensity
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
1- Precursors stage (with
volcano-seismic activity
and fumarolic increases
4 - Magmatic stage
(with pyroclastic
deposits channelled)
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
2 - Phreatic stage
5 - Magmatic
paroxysmic stage
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
3 - Phreatic paroxysmic stage or
phreato-magmatic stage (same
impact intensity)
To understand the relationship
between hazard intensities and
the reactions of the population or institutions
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
Some behaviours evolve while others remain constant:
- for the authorities, the precautionary principle was born on
Montagne Pelée, the 30 August 1902
- for the entire region, spontaneous evacuation starts when the first
ash falls
Eruptive impacts on the scale of the Lesser Antilles
- Area destroyed by volcanic activity constitutes a small surface of volcanic islands
over 360 years
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
- Roseau (Dominica) and Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) are the last two towns most exposed
to volcanic risk. They will probably suffer the same fate as Saint-Pierre (Martinique) in 1902
and Plymouth (Montserrat) in 1997
- Magmatic activity represents 14 % of all volcanic activity. The hydro-volcanogeomorphologic (HVG) system was sollicited for numerous historical volcanic activities
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
Modified from Roobol & Smith, 1989, after Lindsay et al., 2005
The different types of streams
in the Lesser Antilles
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
In 1902, the traumatism caused by the destruction of Saint-Pierre and the 28,000 victims,
but also the fascination for the events from the crater, contributed towards the magmatic
threats eclipsing some of other hazards (flashfloods, hydro-volcano-geomorphologic
phenomena, tsunami, etc.).
We consider that, with respect to volcanoes, the hydro-volcanogeomorphologic (HVG) threat is most significant because it is frequent,
spontaneous and cannot always be predicted, during and between
eruptions
To identify 3 types of torrents
in the Lesser Antilles
- Major volcanic torrent
- Secondary volcanic torrent
- Non-volcanic torrent
Most hydro-volcanogeomorphologic (HVG) hazards
occur in major volcanic torrents.
It is important to identify the
most threatening torrents.
The perception of natural hazards in the Lesser
Antilles by the Amerindian Kalinago
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Introduction
All regional hazards are considered,
except for the volcanic hazards
(Breton, 1665).
The Kalinago vocabulary describes
the different intensities of torrential
flows.
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
Volcanic risk was not a concern when
compared to hydrological phenomena.
The Kalinago society probably
perceived volcanoes on a different time
scale than ours: a time scale suited to
the hazard impacts, their threats.
Conclusion
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Introduction
Inventory
Is the volcanic risk in the Caribbean
overestimated ?
Certainly not, if we consider the areas
exposed to volcanic activity (Lindsay et al.,
2005)
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
Guillaume Lalubie
In the Lesser Antilles, the volcanic risk is
very well monitored by 3 volcano
observatories and the Seismic Research
Unit, University of West Indies (Trinidad)
However, in the context of an increasing demography, the
hydro-volcano-geomorphology problematic will be considered
more attentively, especially since it concerns flat surfaces with
rich soils, which are favourable to human settlements
Principale bibliographie
The historical eruptions
in the Lesser Antilles:
the inventory and the
spatialisation of
physical and human
impacts
Boudon G., Le Friant A., Villemant B., Viodé J.P., 2005. Martinique. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of
the lesser Antilles, Trinidad et Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 127-146.
Komorowski, J.C., Boudon, G., Semet, M., Beauducel, F., Antenor-Habazac, C., Bazin, S., Hammouya, G., Cheminée, J.L., 2005. Guadeloupe. In: Lindsay
J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of the lesser Antilles, Trinidad et Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 67-104.
Lalubie G., 2012. Atlas des éruptions historiques aux Petites Antilles: inventaire et spatialisation des impacts physiques et humains. Rapport IRD/UMR
Espace-Dev, Projet Interreg Caraïbes, CARIBSAT, 65 p. + 100 cartes. (caribsat.teledetection.fr)
Introduction
Lalubie G., 2013. Volcanic hydro-geomorphology and the rediscovery of an ancestral (Carib, Kalinago) problematic in the Lesser Antilles: the case of the
Montagne Pelée. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 184 (1), 135-141.
Inventory
Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), 2005. Volcanic atlas of the Lesser Antilles. St-Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Seismic
Research Unit of the University of the West Indies: 279 p.
Spatialisation
Lindsay J.M., Smith A.L., Roobol M.J., Stasiuk M.V., 2005. Dominica. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas
of the lesser Antilles, Trinidad et Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 1-47.
Discussion
Conclusion
Lindsay J.M., 2005. Saint Lucia. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of the lesser Antilles, Trinidad et
Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 218-238.
Robertson R.E.A., 2005. St. Kitts. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of the lesser Antilles, Trinidad et
Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 205-217.
Robertson R.E.A., 2005. Saint Vincent. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of the lesser Antilles, Trinidad
et Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 241-261.
Roobol M.J., Smith A.L., 1989. Volcanic and associated hazards in the Lesser Antilles. In: Latter J. H. (Ed.), Volcanic Hazards, Assessment and Monitoring,
Berlin Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag, 57-85.
Shepherd J.B., 1989. Eruption, eruption precursors and related phenomena in the Lesser Antilles. In: Latter, J. H. (Ed.), Volcanic Hazards, Assessment and
Monitoring, Berlin Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag: 292-311.
Guillaume Lalubie
Smith A.L., Roobol M.J., 2005. Saba. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of the lesser Antilles, Trinidad et
Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 180-190.
Smith A.L., Roobol M.J., 2005. St. Eustatius. In: Lindsay J.M., Robertson R.E.A., Shepherd J.B., Shahiba A. (Eds.), Volcanic atlas of the lesser Antilles,
Trinidad et Tobago, Seismic Research Unit, UWI: 192-202.
Programme
Interreg IV
Caraïbe
Caribbean
Environmental
Satellite Information
system
Introduction
Inventory
Spatialisation
Discussion
Conclusion
The historical eruptions in the Lesser
Antilles: the inventory and the spatialisation
of physical and human impacts
Thank you for your attention
[email protected]
By: Guillaume LALUBIE
E.A. 929 : AIHP-GEODE
Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Schœlcher, Martinique
Thursday 21 March 2013