The Caledonian Star was the first guest ship to visit this Emerald Isle after the major volcanic eruptions had ended in 1999. We return this year to Montserrat to find the above pictured town of Plymouth, still buried in ash but with roads, dwellings, plants, and especially spirits well on the way to recovery.

While no lava is responsible for the destruction in the photo, most of the boulders and ash shown surrounding the buildings was delivered in the form of pyroclastic flows. These destructive events occur when huge slabs of recently cooled rock break off the growing lava dome at the top of the volcano and rumble down the canyons as a superheated mixture of ash, rock, and gas. Add to this burning and scouring, rain that falls through the ash cloud and picks up sulfur and chlorine gas leading to Ph3 acid rain and it is easy to understand why the building in the left foreground has had its metal roof entirely corroded away.

Finally, mud flows overflow the canyons every time there is heavy rain. Despite such harsh conditions the island flourishes: we have seen the endemic oriole, colorfully costumed dancers, and resilient happy Montserratians everywhere.