SCOTS SET TO TACKLE VOLCANO

VOLCANIC NEWS
Photo: The glowing dome at dawn. Photograph taken by one of the MVO's remote cameras located on Perches Mountain to the southeast on 19 January 2006

March 25, 2006
SCOTS scientists are on an urgent mission to find out if a faraway volcano is about to erupt.
A team from the University of St Andrews, in Fife, are heading over to the tiny island of Montserrat, West Indies, to measure how much of a threat the Soufrire Hills Volcano is to the 9000- strong nation.
The Caribbean island, which belongs to the UK, was devastated by the volcano's eruption in July 1995.
Two-thirds of the population fled abroad and only a handful ever returned.
The mountain is once again showing signs of activity after a lava dome was spotted growing at its summit.
The formation is caused by new magma, which is forced up from within the Earth.
The dome will eventually become unstable and collapse with deadly hot rocks and ash flowing down the mountainside.

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