Eruption Near Certain for Montserrat Volcano

The peak of the volcano that dominates the Caribbean island of Montserrat is rising every day as burning rock and ash pile up, making an eruption almost inevitable, officials said.

“If the dome grows as it is, something has to give one way or another,” said geologist Peter Dunkley, director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. “It will be a messy situation when it happens.”

After nearly four centuries of dormancy, the Soufriere Hills volcano roared back to life in 1995, killing 19 people and burying the south of the British territory, including the capital Plymouth.

In the last few years, the volcano has calmed, but the dome continues to grow and collapse.