A Montserrat Volcano Observatory scientist observes the growing lava dome at Soufrière Hills on February 29, 1997. A lava spine, informally referred to as the whaleback spine, caps the dome and was one of many spines that grew and collapsed during the course of growth of the lava dome. Ejecta from explosive eruptions has denuded trees of leaves at Chances Peak in the foreground, west of the lava dome. Chances Pond (lower left), located along the western rim of the summit crater, existed prior to the 1995 eruption.

Photo by Mark Davies, 1997 (Montserrat Volcano Observatory).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license terms.

Soufrière Hills