Volcano · Montserrat
Soufrière Hills
Its eruptions from 1995 buried the island's capital, Plymouth.
Status right now
No current reports
Soufrière Hills is not in the latest Smithsonian weekly report or the GDACS volcano alerts. That usually means it is quiet, but not every change is reported straight away. For official alerts, follow the local volcano observatory.
Checked 5 Nov 2026, 01:31 UTC.
Key facts
- Country
- Montserrat
- Region
- Caribbean
- Type
- Stratovolcano
- Summit
- 915 m (3,002 ft)
- Coordinates
- 16.720° N, 62.180° W
- Smithsonian number
- 360050
What kind of volcano is it?
Soufrière Hills is a stratovolcano. A stratovolcano is a tall, steep cone built from layers of lava, ash and rock from many eruptions. Its sticky magma traps gas, so eruptions are often explosive, with ash columns and fast-moving pyroclastic flows.
Eruption history
| Date | VEI | Deaths | Also |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2006 | 3 | – | tsunami |
| 12 Jul 2003 | 3 | – | tsunami |
| 20 Jan 1999 | 3 | – | tsunami |
| 25 Jun 1997 | 3 | 22 | – |
| 1 Aug 1997 | 3 | 2 | – |
| 26 Dec 1997 | – | – | tsunami |
6 significant eruptions near Soufrière Hills in NOAA's Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database, which lists eruptions that caused deaths, damage or a tsunami, or were VEI 6 or larger. VEI is the Volcanic Explosivity Index, from 0 to 8.
Nearby volcanoes
- Mont PeléeFrance (Martinique) · 237 km
- La SoufrièreSt Vincent · 392 km
- Nevado del RuizColombia · 1,945 km
- PoásCosta Rica · 2,490 km
- ReventadorEcuador · 2,523 km
- CotopaxiEcuador · 2,630 km
Not an official warning service. In an emergency, follow your local authorities.