The Soufriere Hills volcano is a complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. After a long period of dormancy it became active in 1995, and eruptions have continued ever since. Its eruptions have rendered much of Montserrat uninhabitable, destroying the capital, Plymouth, and causing about two thirds of the population to leave the island.

Seismic activity had occurred at the volcano for most of the 20th Century, but 1995 was the first time an eruption had occurred. When pyroclastic flows and mudflows began occurring regularly, Plymouth, was evacuated, and a few weeks later a pyroclastic flow covered the city in several metres of debris. A large eruption in 1997 resulted in the deaths of about 20 people.

The volcano has been become one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the world since its eruption began, with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory taking detailed measurements and reporting on its activity to the government and population of Montserrat.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Send by: eXtreme