The area around the volcano has been a hotbed of tectonic activity since it lays near a subduction zone where rock from the Earth's mantle is pushed upward as a reaction to the nearby subduction of the Earth's crust. Since tremendous internal pressures exist due to the displacement of magma below the subduction zone's surface, the Soufriere Hills Volcano sits on top of a giant lava dome that has been holding back high-pressure gasses for years. These gasses, when combined with the rock and magma below the surface, shoot out during an eruption, just as we are currently seeing on the island now and similar to the 1995 eruption. The depth of the magma, which often extends miles below the surface and which is pooled in a magma chamber, can be directly linked to the volcano's...

The eruption has also produced some very familiar side effects associated with large-scale eruptions. Pyroclastic flows and lahars, giant hot ash and mud slides created by landslides and volcanic activity have been pouring down the mountain's sides since the 1995 eruption, and have buried the capital of Plymouth. These flows are also common to volcanic eruptions, as the mountain-building process tends to move massive amounts of ash and rock down slope. Furthermore, the recent volcanic activity has also resulted in a collapse of the volcanic column, which has created many small-scale earthquakes and tremors. Some scientists theorize that the recent earthquake activity in Haiti and this recent eruption are connected through the area's plate tectonic activity.