Skip to content

Explosive eruptions at French overseas volcanoes: Simulation and integration into volcano emergency plans

Audrey Michaud-Dubuy1, Jean-Christophe Komorowski2, Guillaume Carazzo2, Lucia Gurioli1

  • Affiliations: 1Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, OPGC, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, 63000 Clermont- Ferrand, France 2Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Paris, France

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Monday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 105

  • Programme No: 7.2.17

  • Theme 7 > Session 2

Abstract

For the first time, all the French monitored volcanoes exhibit signs of unrest. In the Lesser Antilles, the level of volcanic activity is now yellow-Vigilance (2 out of 4 on the alert scale) for both Montagne Pelée (Martinique) and La Soufrière (Guadeloupe). In the Comoros archipelago (Indian Ocean), the 2018-2020 Fani Maoré eruption confirms the reactivation of the whole magmatic system in Mayotte. Field-based studies on these volcanic systems show that their eruptive histories include several explosive eruptions ranging from hydrovolcanic to Plinian eruptions. In this context, the authorities of Martinique and Guadeloupe revised the volcano emergency response plans for Montagne Pelée in 2022 and La Soufrière in 2024, while the Prefecture is working on a first version for Mayotte. Here, we present the hazard maps for tephra fallout elaborated using the HAZMAP model, when considering either a hydrovolcanic or a sub-Plinian/Plinian eruptive scenario at Montagne Pelée, La Soufrière and Mayotte. For each volcano, we performed single-scenario (based on historical eruptions), multiple-scenario (including 43 years of wind data) and probabilistic hazard maps. We present how these results were shared and evaluated with the authorities in Martinique and in Guadeloupe to improve the efficacy and relevance of the maps, and their use in volcano emergency exercises that were organized by Civil Protection authorities in conjunction with French scientists in Guadeloupe (2019, 2021) and Martinique (2022, 2023). These discussions led to the incorporation of the two scenarios considering multiple phenomena into the revised plans for Martinique and Guadeloupe, and soon for Mayotte.