Eastern caribbean volcanic hazards

Because of the short period of recorded history in the eastern Caribbean, essentially since the 17th century, the reconstruction of the eruptive history of the potentially active Lesser Antillean volcanoes, and thus their volcanic hazards, has to be based on indirect methods such as recognition of eruptive activity based on the deposits it produced and strtigraphic correlation. These studies have shown that volcanic activity can be grouped into Pelean-,St Vincent-, Plinian-, Asama-style, and phreatic/phreatomagmatic, explosive eruptions, or non-explosive activity-which has produced domes, and lava flows, and generated volcano-seismic crises. Pyroclastic flows, surges and falls produced by the explosive eruptions have dominated both the historic and pre-historic record. The pyroclastic flows are commonly the high aspect-ratio variety, although more widespread and destructive low aspect-ratio flows have occurred on many volcanoes.(AU)