La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent () is an active stratovolcano on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the highest peak in Saint Vincent, and has had five recorded explosive eruptions since 1718. The latest eruptive activity began on 27 December 2020 with the slow extrusion of a dome of lava, and culminated in a series of explosive events between 9 and 22 April 2021. Geography and structure At , La Soufrière is the highest peak on Saint Vincent as well as the highest point in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a crater lake and is the island's youngest and northernmost volcano. During periods of inactivity, visitors can view the volcanic crater by following a hiking trail that ascends through rainforest to the rim. Eruptive history La Soufrière has had five explosive eruptions during the recorded historical period. It violently erupted in 1718, 1812, 1902, 1979, and 2021. A famous painting by J. M. W. Turner of the eruption on 30 April 1812 belongs to the Victoria Gallery & Museum, University of Liverpool. Eruption of 1902 The Saint Vincent eruption of 6 May 1902 killed 1,680 people, just hours before the eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique that killed 29,000. On St. Vincent, a further 600 people were injured or burned and 4,000 were left homeless. The death zone, where almost all persons were killed, was mainly within Island Caribs habitat, an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. This last large remnant of Carib culture was destroyed as a result of the volcano. By 1907, the volcano was considered inactive, and the crater lake had reformed. Activity in 1971 A minor event occurred in 1971, altering the structure of the volcano's crater lake. Eruption of 1979 An eruption on April 13, 1979 caused no casualties as advance warning allowed thousands of local residents to evacuate to nearby beaches. The 1979 eruption created a large ash plume that reached Barbados, to the east of the volcano. A newspaper report stated that two infants had died during the evacuation of some 1,500 people, though the report was not confirmed. Financial and material aid was provided by the United Kingdom and USA. 2020–2021 activity Increased seismic activity was detected in December 2020; and an effusive eruption began to form a new lava dome inside the summit crater