MVO reported that during 29 September-6 October the lava dome at Soufrière Hills continued to grow at a moderate rate. Rockfalls were concentrated on the N and NE sectors. The vents just inside Gage's wall and on the summit of the dome periodically produced both ash and gases. The lava-dome volume was estimated at 90 million cubic meters.

Based on information from the MVO, pilot reports, and the Piarco MWO, the Washington VAAC reported ongoing emissions during 5-10 October. Plumes reached altitudes of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W.

Geological Summary. The complex, dominantly andesitic Soufrière Hills volcano occupies the southern half of the island of Montserrat. The summit area consists primarily of a series of lava domes emplaced along an ESE-trending zone. The volcano is flanked by Pleistocene complexes to the north and south. English's Crater, a 1-km-wide crater breached widely to the east by edifice collapse, was formed about 2000 years ago as a result of the youngest of several collapse events producing submarine debris-avalanche deposits. Block-and-ash flow and surge deposits associated with dome growth predominate in flank deposits, including those from an eruption that likely preceded the 1632 CE settlement of the island, allowing cultivation on recently devegetated land to near the summit. Non-eruptive seismic swarms occurred at 30-year intervals in the 20th century, but no historical eruptions were recorded until 1995. Long-term small-to-moderate ash eruptions beginning in that year were later accompanied by lava-dome growth and pyroclastic flows that forced evacuation of the southern half of the island and ultimately destroyed the capital city of Plymouth, causing major social and economic disruption.

Sources: Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO)