Montserrat, nicknamed The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, is a British Overseas Territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands known as the Lesser Antilles, at approximately 480km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 48km southwest of Antigua. In July 1995, Soufrière Hills volcano, a complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit, dormant for centuries, erupted and buried the island's capital, Plymouth, in more than 12m of mud, destroyed its airport and docking facilities, and rendered the southern part of the island uninhabitable. After the destruction of Plymouth and disruption of the economy, more than half of the population left the island, which lacked housing. The volcano is andesitic in nature and the current pattern of activity includes periods of dome growth, punctuated by brief episodes of dome collapse which result in pyroclastic flows, ash venting, and explosive eruption.
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