Tremors spark concern over Montserrat volcano

SCIENTISTS were last night closely watching Montserrat’s volcano after a week of increased activity that brought strong tremors and sent massive ash clouds into the sky.

Last week scientists recorded several earthquakes and one rock fall from the Soufriere Hills Volcano. On Monday, an ash cloud blew from the volcano and rose an estimated 15,000 feet, according to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

On March 3, an eruption sent a massive cloud of ash into the sky, but there were no injuries or damage.

That eruption came more than seven months after a major lava dome collapse on July 12 that left volcanic ash caked on the ground and coatings of grit on surrounding Caribbean islands.

"We’re sort of on a cusp," said Jill Norton, one of several scientists who works at the observatory.

"It looks like it has quietened down for the time being," she said, adding that scientists are trying to determine what the increased activity may mean for the future.

"We’re going to watch it closely over the next few weeks and see which way it’s going to go," Norton said.

Britain authorised a donation of 1m in emergency aid to help the British Caribbean territory recover from the dome collapse.

Montserrat’s volcano sprang to life in 1995, eventually leading more than half the island’s population to move away. Many moved to Britain. An eruption in 1997 killed 19 people and buried the capital, Plymouth.

Scientists constantly monitor the volcano and report any changes to the island’s 4,500 residents, who live in northern areas which have been declared safe.