Five ground-tilt stations were established on the flanks of the Soufriere of St. Vincent; two in 1977, two in 1980, and one in 1983. Four of these stations have survived; two consist of lines oriented radially to the volcano, and the other two consist of cross-shaped arrays. Collectively, this network showed that the volcano inflated gradually before the eruption of 1979 and then deflated rapidly during the eruption and for about a year after it had ended. The volcano then reinflated during much of 1981 and inflated only slightly, if at all, during the 7-year period 1982-1989. The measured amount of ground tilt from 1977 to 1989 was relatively small; the maximum recorded change of radial tilt at a station 6.5 km from the summit of the volcano totaled about 20 μrad. Local seismicity correlates well with measured ground deformation: numerous earthquakes accompanied the 1979-1981 deflation/inflation cycle; relatively few earthquakes occurred during the 1982-1989 period of little or no ground deformation. In the hope that the experience we have gained might be of use to others who are considering a program of ground-tilt monitoring on volcanoes elsewhere in the humid tropics, we describe many practical aspects of our program that have evolved over the years. For example: (1) stainless steel bench marks cemented into solid bedrock appear to be stable for at least 12 years, (2) bench marks can be located in concrete-filled drums where bedrock is absent, (3) bench marks should be concealed to protect them from vandalism, (4) care must be exercised where sight lines graze the ground (<0.5 m), and (5) automatic levels are preferable because of their efficiency of operation, especially with inexperienced personnel. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.
