SOUFRIÈRE50 International Conference – First Circular
Publication date: 23/12/2025
Research
Fifty years after the eruption of 1976–1977, La Soufrière remains a benchmark volcano for research, monitoring and collective reflection on volcanic risk. To mark this occasion, the first circular for the SOUFRIÈRE50 international symposium is now available.
The conference will be held in Guadeloupe from 5 to 10 July 2026 and will bring together a large community of researchers, engineers, risk management stakeholders and institutional partners around a common goal: to look back on fifty years of scientific advances and field experience, and to examine the challenges ahead in dealing with active volcanoes.
A seminal eruption, half a century of scientific progress
The 1976 eruption had a profound impact on the history of French and international volcanology. It helped shape new approaches to instrumental monitoring, volcanic process modelling, crisis management and relations between science, authorities and populations.
The SOUFRIÈRE50symposium aims to revisit this major episode by placing it in a broader perspective: how has the knowledge acquired since 1976 transformed our understanding of volcanoes? Which lessons remain fully relevant today? And how can we prepare for the coming decades in a context of rapid environmental, societal and technological change?
Contents of the first circular
Available in French and English, the first circular presents:
- the general scientific objectives of the conference,
- the main themes that will structure the sessions (volcanic processes, monitoring, hazards, risks, science-society relations),
- initial practical information concerning the organisation of the event.
The programme will place significant emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches, international feedback and exchanges between fundamental research and operational applications. Time dedicated to fieldwork and group discussions will complement the scientific sessions.
👉 English version:
Contribute to the preparation of the symposium
In order to best anticipate the organisation and participation in this international event, interested parties are invited to fill in the following online form:
👉 https://lnkd.in/ec9fWN4J
The SOUFRIÈRE50 symposium is intended to be a time for reflection, transmission and projection, in a region where volcanoes are an integral part of collective history. It is a unique opportunity to bring together scientific perspectives, memories of past events and contemporary issues related to active volcanoes.
A second circular will follow in early February.
