VOLCANO CASE STUDY - Montserrat (British colony), Leeward Islands, West Indies.

Montserrat is a British colony situated on the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

Its main source of income had been the tourist industry, which brought hundreds of thousands of visitors per year, attracted by its beautiful, lush landscape and climate.

The island’s other main industry was farming, exporting products such as fruit and vegetables all over the world.

PRE – ERUPTION In 1995 Soufriere Hills (dormant. for 350 yrs),

began to steam and smoke. Scientists, who had been using a helicopter to

monitor changes in the shape of the compositevolcano had warned that an eruption was imminent back in 1994.

Following several pyroclastic flows in 1995 the decision was made to evacuate people away from the danger zone in the south to the safer north zone.

The majority of the island’s 12,000 population lived in the capital Plymouth, or in the southern half of the island (the danger zone).

Most of the island’s infrastructure, hospitals, school, airports and roads were in the south.

A map was produced to ensure people were a safe distance away from the volcano. The zones were given a letter code G – A, with A representing the most dangerous.

THE ERUPTIONUnfortunately, the largest and most devastating eruption occurred on 25 June 1997. Fiery volcanic bombs were hurled out at 200km/h and pyroclastic flows flattened buildings and

burned trees. Ash was blasted high into the atmosphere and when it settled it covered two-thirds of the island,

burying buildings under metres of ash and destroying plants and farmland.

THE CAUSEMontserrat is close to a destructive plate boundary. The North & South American plates are sinking under the Caribbean plate. As they sink into the mantle they are melted into magma, which rise to the surface to form a chain of volcanic islands (leeward & windward islands).

THE EFFECTS 8,000 refugees left the island of Montserrat, never to return. Most went to nearby Antigua or the UK. 60% of all housing was destroyed. 75% of all agricultural land is covered under metres ash or lava, leaving farmers destitute. A profitable tourist industry was completely ruined, leaving thousands unemployed. The main seaport and airport are closed making importing and exporting goods very difficult. The loss of income from tourism and farming has significantly affected people’s quality of life. Most wildlife has disappeared; coral reefs and sea creatures have been poisoned. Today, most people live in the overcrowded north part of the island. In the North there is a limited supply of clean water and few services to deal with sewage. The UK government, UN and Red Cross gifted Aid (£42 million) to rebuild. Each adult was offered

£2,600 in compensation. Montserratians felt this was not enough and rioted.

Want to learn more? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4237882.stm AD 06’