FE.. AND CONFUSION OVER HIS FAMOUS NAME
Seismologist Rod is director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) in the Caribbean. The expat has become a guardian angel to the 5000 people who live and work in the shadow of the colossal Chances Peak in the Soufrière Hills. In the mid-1990s the volcano – which had lain dormant for 300 years – woke up. And in 1997 19 people were killed when it erupted, devastating half the island and turning the capital Plymouth into a modern Pompeii. By monitoring activity in and around the volcano, Rod and his team are ensuring the safety of the islanders by working hard to predict if and when it will erupt again. The uncertainty of knowing exactly when she will blow and the instability of the debris from the last eruption means 60 per cent of Montserrat remains an exclusion zone.
Rod, 61, who grew up in Haddington, East Lothian, admits his job, although at times thrilling, comes with a lot of responsibility.
He said: “Although the volcano is quiet at the moment, there is still activity beneath the surface, which tells us it hasn’t gone back to sleep and could waken at any minute.
“Montserrat is a precarious place to be. We can only get within 1km of the volcano or sometimes a little bit closer by helicopter.
“People imagine volcanologists dipping spoons and probes into molten lava but it is nothing quite as spectacular as that.
“It’s way too dangerous to get anywhere near the volcano.”
The MVO have had a presence on the island since the mid- 90s when the volcano started to erupt.
Rod said: “It hasn’t done anything big for eight years and we’re fairly confident that, if it does start acting up again, we’ll get some warning.
“A big part of my job is helping make sure the people of Montserrat are safe. This is a massive responsibilty and one that gives me sleepless nights.
“It would be easy for us to tell people not to go anywhere near the volcano or visit the island but that would have a terrible effect on the economy.” Rod added: “Three years ago we started doing tourist trips into Plymouth because that’s the reason people visit the island – they want to see a city that’s been devastated by a volcano and it’s quite a sight.
“Tourists are only allowed into the exclusion zone on the condition they get permission from us at the MVO, have an experienced guide, carry a radio and check in and out.”
Edinburgh University graduate Rod and his 15-strong team have a variety of instruments to monitor activity including satellite imagers, thermal cameras, temperature probes and a radar developed by St Andrews University, which allows them to measure the changing shape of the volcano’s dome.
The former Knox Academy pupil, who will address the people of Montserrat on the radio if an eruption occurs, said: “When I was younger and looking at volcanology, I had this simplistic view I’d be working to make people safe but it’s much more muddled than that. It’s a bit like a weather forecast – you can say whether it’s going to start raining but you can’t say when exactly.
“We’re constantly working with incomplete data and have to make decisions based on it. Trying to convey that uncertainty to the public is a challenge.
“We have our own radio show, which is an important part of the outreach work we do across the island. We talk about the science and the lessons we’ve learnt. The show has helped us reassure and establish a trust with the people, as have the sessions and talks we do in schools.
“If something does happen with the volcano, the radio will become very important. There are sirens all over the island and people know that, if they go off, they have to tune into the radio and either I or someone from the observatory will be on air explaining what’s happening and what people need to do.
“This time no one will ignore the safety advice, like those who perished in 1997.”
He added: “Ours is not your typical volcano. It is the type that forms lava domes – the magma rising from deep inside the earth is particularly thick and viscous, creating a hot crust of blocky lava at the surface.
“During the day, the heat cannot be seen because the surrounding light is too strong. But when night falls, the hot parts glow red, showing where the dome is most active. The collapse of the dome generates a pyroclastic f low – an avalanche of molten rocks and gas that travels downhill at 100mph. When one is triggered, you have to get out quickly.
“You just have to look at the haunting images of Plymouth. It was obliterated by the pyroclastic flow, drowned and buried in rocks and mud. It remains untouched to this day, the tops of houses, cars and phone boxes only just visible above the rubble. It’s a reminder of the volcano’s deadly force.”
Despite the dangers, Montserrat remains a firm favourite with documentary makers and film directors.
Rod said: “Montserrat used to be a playground for the rich and famous. It is such a peaceful, beautiful place and the perfect hideaway. Beatles producer George Martin had a studio on the island.
“Oscar-nominated director Behn Zehman was here last year shooting the yet- to- be released Wendy. US reality survival show Naked And Afraid was also filmed here.”
Rod, who left Scotland in 1979, says he became a volcanologist by accident. He explained: “I started my career working on a geo- thermal project in Cornwal l. I saw a job ad for a seismologist at a volcano observatory in Papua New Guinea. I applied and got it. It was a baptism of fire and I was instantly hooked.
“It is a different kind of life but I love it. I leave the island twice a year to visit Trinidad, where I stock up on Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers.”
When it comes to jokes about his name, volcano guardian Rod has heard them all. He said: “I’ve heard joke after joke. I got an email once from a Rod Stewart fan and I had to politely tell them they had got the wrong man.
“I used to work for the UN, overseeing the construction of stations to detect nuclear testing around the world. Once when I was flying into Singapore, the person who was meeting me was standing with my name on a placard. By the time I got off the plane, a small crowd had gathered.
“How disappointed they must have been when volcanologist Rod Stewart walked out and not the singer.
“He’s a rock legend… I just love rocks.”
He’s a rock legend… I just love rocks