Volcanologist Richard Heard of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory observes the new lava dome in February 1997. The surface temperature of the lava dome at this time was 650-800 degrees centigrade. By this time the new dome had grown to a height above that of Chances Peak, the former summit of the volcano and the location of this photo. A steep-sided spine forms the northern side of the lava dome. Periodic spine extrusion and subsequent collapse occurred frequently during the 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