Prior to the Soufrière Hills eruption, Montserrat had international airport named after Chief Minister William Henry Bramble.
Early activity of the volcano had not affected Bramble airport, but the collapse of the northern dome on 25 June 1997 produced pyroclastic flows towards the north, which reached the airport.
The first pyroclastic flows reached Bramble Airport in 1997, destroying its terminal building and spilling over its runway. Credit: Brian Wotherspoon / Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The airport was abandoned, and in the following years more pyroclastic flows and lahars reached the airport.
In 1998, the airport had already been abandoned but there were still some pyroclastic flows and lahars to come - that were to completely bury the tower and all the infrastructure. Credit: Peter Filleul.
Today, no remnants of the airport are visible any more, and a new airport has been opened further north.
Today, Bramble Airport is buried under volcanic deposits. Its previous location is in the lower left hand corner of the volcaniclastic fan. Credit: Pat Hawks / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. Date: 01/05/2012
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