Belham Valley

The Belham Valley drains into the Caribbean Sea south of Salem on the west side of the island. Prior to the eruption, it hosted the island’s only golf course. As the eruption unfolded, lahars (and a few pyroclastic flows) travelled down the valley and gradually buried it.

Aerial view of the Belham River Valley Mouth on the west coast of the island, prior to the eruption. Credit: David Watters. Date: 1995

Another aerial view of Old Road Bay and the Belham Valley prior to the eruption. Credit: David Watters. Date: 1995

Belham Valley in January 2002 from a slightly different aerial angle. Ash and rocks from the volcano travelled down the valley since 1997 and gradually filled it. Old Road Bay pier and the trees in the front of the photo mark the coastline prior to the eruption, as seen in the previous image. Credit: Jenni Barclay. 28/01/2002

The Belham River Valley mouth in November 2006. After a large dome collapse in May earlier that year, many lahars travelled down the valley during the rainy season. As a result, former Old Road Bay is now filled with pyroclastic material, and the coastline has moved hundreds of meters west. Credit: MVO Archive. 02/11/2006

The former clubhouse of the Montserrat Golf Course in 2011. Credit: David Stanley / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. 07/06/2011

Today, volcanic material carried down by lahars and pyroclastic flows in the Belham Valley is being mined. In the upper Belham Valley, the quarries are deep enough to unbury some of the trees. Credit: Karen Pascal. Date: 05/01/2015