Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
(Last updated May 12, 2002)
In July, 1995, the Soufriere Hills Volcano on the island of Montserrat broke a 400 year dormancy with
a series of small eruptions. In September, a lava dome (a mass of lava too thick to flow smoothly) started
growing in the volcano's crater. The dome has continued to grow until now, with occasional explosive
eruptions that have devastated part of the island. These eruptions have forced the evacuation of the southern
two-thirds of the island.
![[Small Montserrat]](smmon.gif)
This image shows the volcano in August, 1997 and depicts the results of a series of explosive eruptions.
The lava dome is the light gray mass just right of the image center with the steam cloud at the top. During
quiet growth, the parts of the dome fall off as a series of rockfalls, creating the smooth gray slope below and
to the left of the dome. During stronger activity, the dome has produced pyroclastic flows - a mixture
of red-hot rocks, ash, and steam that flow down the mountainside at speeds up to 100 mph. The pyroclastic flows
have filled the river valleys on the volcano's flanks with gray deposits. The buildings near the deposits in
the lower left corner of the image are part of the village of Harris, which was severely damaged in the June
25 pyroclastic flows that killed 19 people. Notice the dark gray color at the center right edge of the image.
This is vegetation seared by ash clouds associated with the pyroclastic flows. (233K JPG)
This image is used with the kind permission of David Lea,
who runs the Price of Paradise website. This features
images of the volcano, as well as information on ordering videos about the eruption.
Additional information on the eruption is available from the website of the
Montserrat Volcano Observatory.
Bill Innanen also maintains a site with
images of Montserrat and the volcano.
Finally, Dennis Chesters'
GOES Hot Stuff features satellite
imagery and movies of the eruption (among many other interesting things).
Interesting Image Page #2 - Hurricane Linda
Interesting Image Page #4 - How Many Tropical Cyclones Are There In This Picture?
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![[Small Montserrat]](abeauty.jpg)
This image shows the volcano in August, 1997 and depicts the results of a series of explosive eruptions.
The lava dome is the light gray mass just right of the image center with the steam cloud at the top. During
quiet growth, the parts of the dome fall off as a series of rockfalls, creating the smooth gray slope below and
to the left of the dome. During stronger activity, the dome has produced pyroclastic flows - a mixture
of red-hot rocks, ash, and steam that flow down the mountainside at speeds up to 100 mph. The pyroclastic flows
have filled the river valleys on the volcano's flanks with gray deposits. The buildings near the deposits in
the lower left corner of the image are part of the village of Harris, which was severely damaged in the June
25 pyroclastic flows that killed 19 people. Notice the dark gray color at the center right edge of the image.
This is vegetation seared by ash clouds associated with the pyroclastic flows. (233K JPG)