MVO staff were able to carry out a detailed photographic and thermal survey of the dome on 18 March 2009. This was possible because the presence of the helicopter coincided with excellent viewing conditions. The results of this survey will be used to update MVO's model of the dome.

Read more: Dome survey

Students from Form 3 of Montserrat Secondary School enjoyed a visit to MVO on 12 March 2009.

There were more than 30 students, aged 13 - 15, from Forms 3A1 and 3A2.

Read more: Montserrat Secondary School Visit MVO

The MVO uses several different methods to measure the deformation of the flanks of the volcano: Global Positioning System (GPS), Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), tilt, and crack measurements.

GPS uses an array of satellites to accurately determine the position of the GPS receiver. The MVO collects data from 6 permanent Trimble NetRS GPS receivers stationed around the volcano, which are the property of the MVO. The data are telemetered to the MVO where it is processed and analysed to provide the positions of these stations with accuracies to about a centimetre. In addition, the MVO occasionally occupies temporary GPS survey stations to provide a wider coverage of the deformation field of the volcano.

Read more: Deformation Monitoring

MVO was the setting for an exercise tackled by attendees at a Search and Rescue training course being held on Montserrat. The exercise involved rescuing a staff member who had been injured and was stranded at the MVO.

In the exercise, all roads to the MVO had been cut off by volcanic activity and the only access was by foot. The rescue team had to travel on foot over rough terrain from Duck Pond to MVO, testing their navigation skills and their field training. At MVO, they discovered that one staff member had been injured and had been unable to evacuate. The team had to make a rapid assessment of the victim's injuries and then make appropriate arrangements for evacuation.

Read more: Search and Rescue comes to MVO

Flemmings, Montserrat - 28th January, 2009- Government officials, community leaders and school principals will convene at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) later today as the Observatory reveals its new logo and public education plan for the next two years.

Although involved in education and outreach activities from its inception, the MVO Outreach Plan 2008-2010 marks the first time that the Observatory will deliver a comprehensive strategy for providing information on the Soufrière Hills Volcano.

Dubbed the Living with our Volcano programme, the Outreach Plan promotes both safety and education.

"In developing this programme, our primary focus was to ensure that residents would be educated on the hazards posed by the volcano and that they would understand how to live safely with it," said Stacey Edwards of the UWI Seismic Research Centre, who co-authored the Plan with Guillaume Levieux of the IPGP. "However, it was also very important to us to include a component where Montserrat students were encouraged to use the volcano as a learning opportunity," added Edwards.

The results from surveys and meetings with stakeholders were used to identify target groups, develop messages and select communication tools for the programme. Highlights include a refurbished MVO website, development of a Soufrière Hills Volcano Educator's Guide for schools and regular community meetings.

The MVO will also launch its new logo to symbolize the Observatory's growth throughout its thirteen-year history. Designed by Levieux, the logo's green symbolizes the living part of the Emerald Isle while the gray represents the volcano and ash. "The ash plume reminds us that the volcano is active and the delta is an important part of the Montserratian landscape," remarked Levieux. The red seismic signal brings the concepts of risk and time.

Edwards added, "This is a big day for the MVO and we look forward to partnering with our stakeholders to implement the Living with Our Volcano programme."

-END-

About MVO
Established in 1995, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory monitors the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat and provides the authorities with impartial advice on volcanic activity and associated hazards. The MVO is a statutory authority of the Government of Montserrat and it is jointly managed by the UWI Seismic Research Centre and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.

This past January, the MVO bade farewell to Acting Director Nicolas Fournier as he left the island for the last time. A Volcanologist at the UWI Seismic Research Centre, Nico served several stints as acting MVO director since the new management of the MVO in April 2008. A key figure in managing the  volcanic crisis in December 2008 - January 2009, Nico heads to New Zealand to take up the post of Volcano Geodesist at the GNS Science Wairakei Research Centre. 

Teachers and disaster management educators can now obtain Geoscience at Work  posters from the MVO.  Produced by the UWI Seismic Research Centre, the recently launched Geoscience at Work series is a set of resource materials for enhancing the teaching of geoscience in Caribbean schools and vulnerable communities.  The first phase of this project includes the production of posters on Volcanic Hazards, Earthquake Effects, Kick'em Jenny Submarine Volcano, Earthquake Safety and Tsunami Safety.  Interested persons should contact MVO for copies.