Soufriere Hills volcano - Montserrat eruption25th june 1997

Key facts:

-composite volcano 

-Monsterrat is above a destructive margin-North American plate forced under Caribbean plate 

-1995- earthquakes,lahars and small eruptions, continued till 1997

-1997, 25th june-series of small earthquakes, pyroclastic flows 

-main eruption occured, 4-5 million m of material released over 20 mins

-pyroclastic flows covered several square km and reached 50m of the airport, 5.5km north of volcano

-large ash cloud

-further eruptions over next few months 

-1997, 21st september-airport destroyed by pyroclastic flow

Economic impacts

-total loss in value, people's homes and investments- £1 billion

-20 villages and 2/3 of homes destroyed by pyroclastic flows

-tourists…