That volcano awakened scientists to the existence of pyroclastic flows and started a line of research that is still continuing. The eruption killed 29,000 people, the most casualties from any volcano this century. The sole survivor was a prisoner in an underground jail cell. Montserrat's volcano is valuable to volcanic research because it is both typical and atypical. It is a typical stratovolcano in many respects, but what is not typical is that it does not seem to be losing energy, scientists say.
Most volcanoes reach a peak relatively early in their activity cycles and then gradually decline.
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