The Observatory of Guadeloupe - OVSG

Observatory volcanologic and seismological of Guadeloupe

Observatory volcanologic and seismological of Guadeloupe \"Le Houëlmont\" 97113 Gourbeyre, Guadeloupe, F.W.I.

Telephone: (0) 5 90 99 11 33 Faxes: (0) 5 90 99 11 34 International: +590 E-mail: info@ovsg.univ-ag.fr

The OVSG informs the general public of the volcanic and seismic activity by the way of monthly bulletins and announces the seism felt in Guadeloupe and in the area or other events of this nature by its press releases. The Observatory also has a web-cam on quasi real time of the "Soufriere".

Mission

The mission of the observatory of Guadeloupe is as follows:

1. Monitoring of the volcanic activity of the “"Soufriere"” of Guadeloupe, recording a high quality time series of geophysics and geochemical data, supplemented by visual observations. The goals are:

- To understand the underlying mechanisms of the volcano;
- To detect changes in behavior and evaluate them in terms of eruptive potential;
- To inform the authorities responsible for the protection of population and property.

2. Monitoring the regional seismicity (Guadeloupe and close islands) and related tectonic activity of the arc of the Lesser Antilles using continuous recording of the seismicity. The goals are:

- To inform the authorities of the characteristics of a felt seism and aftershocks or the consequences that can be associated to it;
- To establish over long periods of time the space-time characteristics of the regional and local seismicity to map out the geographical distribution of the seismic risk.

3. To support and conduct both fundamental and applied research in geophysics, geochemistry, and geology concerning volcanicity, seismology and regional tectonics, in particular within the framework of regional co-operation.

4. To contribute to the dissemination of preventive information and knowledge regarding the volcanic and seismic risks, as well as educate in the fields of volcanology, geology, geophysics and geochemistry.

History

In 1950 the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris acquired the property of "Parnasse" in the upper part of St-Claude and at the foot of the ""Soufriere"", to create there the Laboratory of Earth Physics. That same year two seismographs "Maïnka Som" were installed. In 1956 a seismic vault built in 1952 was equipped with electromagnetic seismographs. This year a phreatic eruption took place at the ""Soufriere"".
With the restoration of the buildings in 1964 a true seismic network was set up. The stations were then connected to the observatory by cables. In 1975, some were linked by radio transmission. It is thanks to this network that the 1976 seismic crisis of the "Soufriere" could be detected as of March of that year and prompted the possibility of surface manifestation.

When the cities of Saint-Claude and Basse-Terre were evacuated in July-August 1976, the observatory was installed in the powder magazine of the Fort St-Charles. The monitoring networks remained there during 17 years, while the administration and laboratory of geochemistry went back to "Parnasse". The laboratory was then named "Observatoire Volcanologique de la "Soufriere". In 1989 the construction of a modern observatory started on "Houëlmont", located 9 km to the south-west of the "Soufriere". Since 1993 all the equipment and observatory activities are based there. In 2001, because of it's increasingly involvement in the field of seismology and research related to the seismic risk, the IPGP renames the observatory to its current name: Observatory volcanologic and seismological of Guadeloupe.