Prehistoric Stratigraphy of the Soufrière Hills–South Soufrière Hills Volcanic Complex, Montserrat, West Indies

The Soufrière Hills and South Soufrière Hills volcanoes are morphologically distinct but petrologically similar. The history of the complex is subdivided into seven episodes. The Soufrière Hills subunit I (≤175 ka) has deposits of Pelean style with ignimbrites of Plinian style abundant near its top. This is followed by deposits from the South Soufrière Hills (∼130 ka) that represent open‐crater St. Vincent–style activity. Soufrière Hills subunits II–V (∼112,000–∼400 BP) return to more characteristic Pelean activity; at ∼22,000 BP, block‐and‐ash flow deposits containing abundant clasts of vesicular andesite dominate. Age dating shows that renewed activity began just before European settlement in 1632 CE. This activity, including the ongoing eruption, is typical of the dominant eruptive style of this volcano for the last 175 ka.