From a distance, Montserrat's capital city, Plymouth, reveals little of the damage caused by eruptions of the nearby Soufriere Hills volcano.
In reality, Plymouth and its suburbs receive much of the airborne ash. "This area has been overridden by such deposits many times in the past," says one geologist. "It's really an unsafe place to have a city."
(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Montserrat: Under the Volcano," July 1997, National Geographic magazine)
