Editing Claude Allègre (section)

==Scientific controversies==

In 1976, Allègre and volcanologist [[Haroun Tazieff]] became involved in an intense and public quarrel about whether inhabitants should evacuate the areas surrounding the ''[[La Grande Soufrière|la Soufrière]]'' volcano on the Caribbean island of [[Guadeloupe]], which had begun to show signs of unrest, including steam explosions.<ref>{{cite journal|title=La Recherche, France: La Soufriére's first victim|journal=Nature |volume=264|pages=500|year=1976|doi=10.1038/264500a0 |url= https://doi.org/10.1038/264500a0}}</ref> Allègre held that inhabitants should be evacuated, while Tazieff held that the Soufrière was harmless because all analyses pointed to a purely [[phreatic eruption]] with no sign of fresh [[magma]]. In part out of caution, the authorities decided to follow Allègre's advice and evacuate. The eruptive crisis did not result in any damage, but the evacuation had very significant negative consequences. Allègre, as the director of [[Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris]], subsequently expelled Tazieff from that institute. The controversy dragged on for many years after the end of the eruption, and ended up in court.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ipgp.fr/~beaudu/soufriere/forum76.html|title=À propos de la polémique|trans-title=About the Controversy|language=Fr|date=August 2006|last=Beauducel|first=F.|website=[[Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris]]|access-date=10 October 2020}}</ref>