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From MVO website:
Montserrat, named by Christopher Columbus is a lush green and mountainous island in the Eastern Caribbean. Known fondly as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, visitors find this pear-shaped island to be a paradise for nature lovers, divers, adventurers, family and villa vacationers.
With more than half of Montserrat affected by volcanic activity and uninhabitable, there is a tremendous contrast with the rest of the island with its verdant mountains, world class nature trails, deserted dark sand beaches, untouched reefs and a quiet friendly charm reminiscent of the way the Caribbean used to be.
Montserrat is an overseas territory of Britain. The official language is English, often flavoured with a strong Montserratian accent. Local currency is Eastern Caribbean Dollars, although US $ are widely accepted. For more information on climate, health, passports/visas etc. go to www.visitmontserrat.com/Facts
The eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano Montserrat is now in its fifteenth year. It has erupted over 1 km 3 of andesitic magma in five distinct phases and activity has involved a diverse range of volcanic phenomena. The eruption continues to break records with the largest and highest lava dome recorded, longest runout pyroclastic flows, and devastating turbulent density currents that reached areas that had not yet been impacted, all taking place during the most recent phase of lava extrusion in 2009 and 2010.
The eruption has had a profound effect on the island rendering more than half of the island uninhabitable and reducing the population by more than 50%. Ashfalls have also impacted neighbouring islands and civil aviation operations in the region. Soufrière Hills Volcano has been the focus of several large scientific research projects including ‘MULTIMO', ‘CALIPSO', ‘SEACALIPSO, as well as a number of oceanographic cruises by research teams from the UK, France, USA, and Trinidad. The results of this research are only just coming to light and this conference is an excellent forum to present and discuss these results.
We also welcome the presentation of research which, although not focussed on Soufrière Hills Volcano, might have developed generic techniques and methodologies which are of relevance to the volcanological community as well as volcano research and monitoring efforts in the Caribbean region. |