The observatory of Reunion Island- OVPF

Volcanological observatory of the "Piton de la Fournaise"

Volcanological observatory of the \"Piton de la Fournaise\" 14 RN3 - km 27, 97418 La Plaine des Cafres, Reunion Island, France

Telephone : (0) 2 62 27 52 92 Fax : (0) 2 62 59 12 04 International: +262

The Volcanological observatory of the "Piton de la Fournaise " forms part of The Institute of Earth Physics of Paris. It has two objectives: research on the processes and the evolution of the volcanoes, and the monitoring of the activity of the Piton de la Fournaise as well as the follow-up of the eruptions and lava flow.
The OVPF makes available to the public an actualized monthly bulletin and the official statement relative to the last detected eruption.

Mission

Pending.

History

Since 1665, date of the French settlement on the island, the volcano of the Furnace has not ceased its activity. The frequency of the eruptions seems to have increased for the last half-century, but this detected increment on activity could bean artifact due to a more active monitoring. The construction of the observatory in 1979 at the plain of the Cafres, only 15 km of the top of the volcano, allowed starting in 1980 the installation of the first elements of the monitoring network.