Quill, The

Geography & Climate

Quill, The is located in Netherlands, within the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the broader Middle America-Caribbean Volcanic Regions. Situated at 17.48° N, 62.96° W in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. With a summit elevation of 601 meters above sea level, Quill, The is a moderately sized peak that remains accessible to hikers and researchers for much of the year. The volcanic landform is characterized as a composite, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Quill, The sits in a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another, creating intense heat and pressure that generates magma. Subduction zones are responsible for many of the world's most explosive volcanoes and deadliest eruptions. For communities in Netherlands near Quill, The, this tectonic setting means the volcano is capable of producing powerful explosive eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars that can threaten populated areas within tens of kilometers of the summit. The dominant rock type is andesite / basaltic andesite, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Quill, The has 3 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 6140 BCE to 250 CE. The most powerful recorded event was a cataclysmic eruption with ash columns reaching the stratosphere in 6140 BCE, reaching VEI 4 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. These eruptions span roughly 6,390 years of volcanic history.

Significance

With a maximum recorded VEI of 4, Quill, The has demonstrated the capacity for significant explosive eruptions that can impact regional aviation, agriculture, and communities tens of kilometers from the summit. VEI 4 eruptions produce ash columns reaching 15-25 kilometers into the atmosphere.

GVP Reference Summary

The Quill is a large dominantly andesitic stratovolcano that forms the SE end of St. Eustatius (Statia) Island. It was formed about 32,000-22,000 years ago by rhyolitic eruptions on a shallow-water limestone bank 3 km offshore of a 200,000 year old volcanic center exposed at the NW end of the island. The interaction of rhyolitic magma with seawater produced pyroclastic-surge deposits, rich in limestone fragments, that joined the two islands and cover the entire slopes of the volcano. The surges also swept across the older island and incorporated carbonized plant remains, shell fragments, and remains of fossil hermit crabs. A likely cryptodome tilted up limestones at Sugarloaf on the southern coast. A steep-sided crater, 760 m wide and more than 300 m deep, caps The Quill; a notch on the western crater rim has directed the youngest pyroclastic flows towards the island's capital, Orangestad. The last dated eruption produced pyroclastic flows about 1,600 years ago.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program