Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc

A curved chain of active and dormant volcanoes along the eastern Caribbean, formed where Atlantic oceanic crust descends beneath the Caribbean Plate.

Lesser Antilles subduction zone: A convergent plate boundary where Atlantic lithosphere descends beneath the Caribbean Plate east of the Lesser Antilles. This descending slab drives melting beneath the volcanic chain.
Soufrière Hills: An active stratovolcano on Montserrat that began a major eruption in 1995. Its prolonged eruption reshaped Montserrat and forced widespread evacuation.
Caribbean large igneous province: A vast Cretaceous igneous province formed by extensive submarine volcanism in the Caribbean region. Its older rocks record a volcanic history preceding the modern island arc.
Montserrat volcanic crisis: The eruption crisis that began on Montserrat in 1995 and caused major destruction and evacuation. It shows how an eruption can transform an island’s population and economy.
Caribbean Plate: A tectonic plate underlying the Caribbean Sea and surrounding parts of Central America and the northern coast of South America. Its eastern boundary overlies the subduction system that feeds the arc.
La Soufrière (Saint Vincent): An active volcano on Saint Vincent that erupted explosively in 2020–2021. Its recent explosive eruption illustrates hazards on inhabited arc islands.
Cretaceous period: The geological period from about 145 to 66 million years ago. Caribbean crustal origins and later plate reorganizations reach back to this interval.
Volcanic ash: Fragments of volcanic rock and glass smaller than two millimeters, produced during explosive eruptions. Ash from arc eruptions can disrupt aviation, agriculture, and island communities.
Atlantic Oceanic Plate: Oceanic lithosphere of the Atlantic basin that moves toward and beneath the Caribbean Plate in the eastern Caribbean. Its descent supplies water and other volatiles that promote mantle melting.
Mount Pelée: A volcano on Martinique whose 1902 eruption destroyed Saint-Pierre and killed tens of thousands. Its devastating eruption became a defining case in the study of volcanic hazards.

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