VOLCANO case study: Mt Soufriere, Montserrat 1997
Causes of Eruption
The island has been created because the Caribbean Plate and Atlantic Plate are moving towards each other and the dense oceanic plate is being subducted under the lighter continental plate.
At destructive boundaries oceanic crust is destroyed as it is forced below the less dense continental crust. The partially melted rock forces its way to an area of lower pressure ready to erupt.
Before 1995 Mount Soufriere had been dormant for over 300 years.
In 1995 the volcano began to give off warning signs of an eruption (small earthquakes and eruptions of dust and ash)
In 1997, Large eruptions continued with the dome collapsing and large pyroclastic flows affecting much of the island
Primary and Secondary effects of the Eruption
| The Primary Effects of the Eruption | The Secondary effects of the Eruption |
| 2/3 of the island was covered in ash50% of the population were evacuated to the north of the island to live in makeshift shelters 23 people died in 1997 Volcanic eruptions, pyroclastic flows and lahars have destroyed large areas of Montserrat. The capital, Plymouth, has been covered in layers of ash and mud. Floods as valleys were blocked with ash The airport and port were closed Farmland was destroyed and forest fires caused by pyroclastic flows Many schools and the only hospital was destroyed | As most of the southern area was destroyed any remaining inhabitants have had to endure harsh living conditions in the North.Transport remains a problem for people traveling to the island as the port and airport remain closed.The tourist industry is still suffering with few visitors except for cruise ships looking at the volcano Over half the population left the island and have not returnedMuch of the island is still uninhabitableBefore the eruption of 1995, over 12,000 people lived on the island but less than 5000 do today. |
Responses to the Eruption
Short-term responses
- Evacuation of the southern part of the island
- Abandonment of the capital city.
- The British government gave £41 million in aid although riots occurred as locals complained that the British were not doing enough to help the island money for compensation and redevelopment.
- Unemployment rose due to the collapse of the tourist industry.
Long-term responses
- Money was given to individuals to help them move to other countries.
- An exclusion zone was set up in the volcanic region.
- New roads and a new airport were built.
- Services in the north of the island were expanded.
- The presence of the volcano resulted in a growth in tourism.
- The MVO (Montserrat Volcano Observatory) was set up to study the volcano and provide warnings for the future
- A Risk assessment was done to help islanders understand which areas are at risk and reduce problems for the future.
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