Representatives from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) were present at the launch of the ‘Ex-X’ Research Project in St. Vincent and the Grenadines earlier this month.
Between the 3rd and 13th of April 2026, Drs. Adam Stinton, Liz Gaunt and Karen Pascal of the MVO contributed to multiple components of the workshop, including fieldwork on deposits from the 2021 explosive eruptions of La Soufrière, St Vincent.
They also participated in a series of presentations covering challenges faced by MVO when managing changes in eruptive behaviour; key eruptive events during Phases 4 and 5 at the Soufrière Hills Volcano; insights gained from the textural and geo-mechanical properties of volcanic rocks; and the use and integration of ground deformation data within new modeling frameworks.
The workshop concluded with a hike to the rim of the Summit Crater, where participants were greeted with views of the new crater formed during the 2021 eruptions of La Soufrière, St Vincent.
The Ex-X Project aims to improve understanding of dangerous, rapid transitions in volcanic activity by coupling models of magmatic systems, conduit processes, explosive eruptions, and ash plume dynamics.
The project is a large, multi-institutional initiative led by the University of Bristol, and involving several UK universities, the UWI Seismic Research Centre, MVO, and the Paris Institute of Earth Physics ( IPGP).