- Soufriere Hills is located in Montserrat, a small Caribbean island close to Antigua.
- 7 miles wide and 12 miles long.
- Population of 5,900 (2008).
- Categorized as a Less Economically Developed Country.
- English territory
- Geographically it is located where the North and South American plate boundaries are being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate creating the Puerto Rico trench therefore it is classified as a Destructive Plate Boundary.
The Volcano
- Composite volcano, made up of layers of ash and andesitic lava.
- It had been showing signs since 1995 when it erupted for the first time in 350 years.
- A lava dome then built up and when it collapsed on 25th June 1997 it caused a pyroclastic flow measuring up to 120 km/h and 600 degrees.
Impacts
Social
- 19 dead
- 5,000 in temporary shelters
- 50% of population were evacuated to the north
- Many school and hospitals destroyed
- Airport and port closed
Economic
- Unemployment rose from 7% to 50%
- 7000 people left the island which left a skills shortage
- The capital Plymouth became a ghost town
Environmental
- South of the island's soil was scorched and cannot be used
- Forest fires burnt down trees
- Floods s valleys were blocked with ash
Responses
- Exclusion zone set up in south of the island
- UK gave £41 million in aid
- £2400 given to each citizen in order to relocate
- Emergency investments in order to ensure essentials such as sanitation were available
- After the first signs in 1995 the MVO (Montserrat Volcano Observatory) was set up and staffed by scientists in order to monitor volcanic activity and it associated hazards.
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