VOLCANO CASE STUDY - Montserrat (British colony), Lee ar! "slan!s, #est "n!

ies$ 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 islands other main industry was farming, e porting products such as fruit and vegetables all over the world. %&E ' E&U%T"ON In !""# Soufriere $ills %dormant. for &#' yrs(, began to steam and smo)e. Scientists, who had been using a helicopter to monitor changes in the shape of the composite volcano had warned that an eruption was imminent bac) in !""*. +ollowing several pyroclastic flows in !""# the decision was made to evacuate people away from the danger ,one in the south to the safer north ,one. The ma-ority of the islands !.,''' population lived in the capital /lymouth, or in the southern half of the island %the danger ,one(. Most of the islands infrastructure, hospitals, school, airports and roads were in the south. 0 map was produced to ensure people were a safe distance away from the volcano. The ,ones were given a letter code 1 2 0, with 0 representing the most dangerous. T(E E&U%T"ON 3nfortunately, the largest and most devastating eruption occurred on .# 4une !""5. +iery volcanic bombs were hurled out at .'')m6h and pyroclastic flows flattened buildings and burned trees. 0sh was blasted high into the atmosphere and when it settled it covered two7thirds of the island, burying buildings under metres of ash and destroying plants and farmland. T(E CAUSE Montserrat is close to a destructive plate boundary. The 8orth 9 South 0merican plates are sin)ing under the Caribbean plate. 0s they sin) into the mantle they are melted into magma, which rise to the surface to form a chain of volcanic islands %leeward 9 windward islands(. T(E E))ECTS :,''' refugees left the island of Montserrat, never to return. Most went to nearby 0ntigua or the 3;. <'= of all housing was destroyed. 5#= of all agricultural land is covered under metres ash or lava, leaving farmers destitute. 0 profitable tourist industry was completely ruined, leaving thousands unemployed. The main seaport and airport are closed ma)ing importing and e porting goods very difficult. The loss of income from tourism and farming has significantly affected peoples >uality 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 8orth there is a limited supply of clean water and few services to deal with sewage. The 3; government, 38 and @ed Cross gifted 0id %A*. million( to rebuild. Bach adult was offered A.,<'' in compensation. Montserratians felt this was not enough and rioted.

Cant to learn moreD httpE66news.bbc.co.u)6!6hi6world6americas6*.&5::..stm

0F '<